Social Contract
As we start the new year, a big question on my mind is: what will become of our relationships with people we don't know, people who aren't like us? It's tempting to feel like the social contracts in place to…
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Unlocking community event information from Facebook
It wasn't always this way. It might be hard to remember, but there was a time when Facebook wasn't the only place to learn about upcoming events in our communities. Instead of having to scroll past silly memes and political…
Article on Strong Towns
I've been enjoy and appreciating the articles on Strong Towns for a while now. They bring a provocative and practical long-term view to the conversation about how cities and towns in North America can become strong and resilient. Their mission…
6 ways to get more involved in your local community
Someone recently asked me for ideas about how they could get more involved in their local community. I like thinking about this question and coming up with suggestions. It may seem like the most consequential decisions and conversations about our…
Remote workers want community too
I've been spending more time with people who do most their work remotely. Since writing about the advantages of distributed/remote teams versus working in person, I've been paying attention to all of the time remote workers spend figuring out how to be around…
Shutting down Richmond Brainstorm
Five years ago this month I launched the community improvement website RichmondBrainstorm.com. The site allowed users to submit ideas for ways to make Richmond, Indiana a better place, allowed other users to discuss and vote on those ideas, and shared…
Disruptors among us
It seems that every healthy and thriving community, city, social group or ecosystem remains healthy and thriving because they can handle having a disruptive element with an important role to play. The disruptors are the people or events that shake…
A city in distress
If you live in or near Richmond, Indiana, it looks like you picked the wrong year to stop sniffing glue. (Does anyone get Airplane! references anymore?) Have you ever scored yourself on the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, which measures your…
An anonymous letter about the state of Richmond
Last month I received an anonymous and wide-ranging letter in the mail about the state of affairs in Richmond, Indiana, addressed to "Positive Place Committee, Madame Mayor, Richmond and Wayne County Government Officials, Palladium Item Advisory Board, and Leadership pundits."…
7 Ways to Help Young Professionals Engage in Richmond
There's a new group in town - H.Y.P.E. Richmond - that is working to "connect and mobilize young professionals to make the Richmond area an even greater place to live, work, and play." If you're interested in those efforts, you…