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.

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Don Lane

Don Lane is a longtime Santa Cruz civic leader, educator, and advocate whose work spans downtown recovery, housing and homelessness, local government, and community development. A three-time mayor, his decades of public service reflect the unusually interconnected nature of civic life in Santa Cruz.

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Child Friendly Cities Initiative

UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative helps local governments put children’s rights into practice through municipal policy and planning. Launched with UN-Habitat in 1996, the global network encourages cities to involve children themselves in creating communities where young people can thrive.

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Jay Pitter

Jay Pitter is an award-winning placemaker and author whose work explores belonging, cultural memory, equity, and public joy. Through planning, policy, teaching, and storytelling, she advances the idea that joyful public space is not a luxury, but essential urban infrastructure and a human right.

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