The Sidewalk Ballet Field Guide
The Sidewalk Ballet Field Guide is a growing collection of people, organizations, projects, books, ideas and ongoing conversations about cities and the people who shape them. It grows out of the podcast, but extends well beyond it—connecting the people doing the work, the places where it’s happening, and the ideas, experiments and resources worth carrying forward. Think of it as part reference library, part trail of breadcrumbs: a way to follow the conversation wherever it leads.
Explore by type, browse alphabetically or by date, or search for something specific. Follow the tags to discover connections—or explore the map to see where the people, projects and ideas in the Field Guide take us.
Office of Mass Engagement
New York City’s Office of Mass Engagement brings the practices of grassroots organizing into City Hall, seeking to move public engagement beyond meetings and feedback sessions toward sustained participation in governing. Created by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2026, the office asks what happens when residents are treated not as an audience for government, but as active participants in it.
The Fog of Accountability
The Fog of Accountability asks a deceptively simple question: if local government is the level of government closest to our daily lives, why is it so difficult for voters to know who deserves credit when things go right—or blame when they don't? Justin de Benedictis-Kessner looks at the structures that make local accountability difficult, including weak electoral competition, complicated institutions, limited voter knowledge, and gaps in local media coverage.
Tax Day Carnival
Tax Day Carnival was one of Warm Cookies of the Revolution’s playful experiments in civic engagement, using the familiar ritual of Tax Day as an invitation to talk about public money, shared priorities, and democracy. It reflects Evan Weissman’s larger idea that civic participation can be social, creative, and fun.
SPUR
SPUR — the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association — is a nonprofit public policy organization. We bring people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems cities face. Based in San Francisco, San José, and Oakland, we are recognized as a leading civic planning organization and respected for our independent and holistic approach to urban issues.
A project of SPUR was featured in Episode 3