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.
The Vertical Sidewalk
The Vertical Sidewalk is a Substack exploring the art and science of creating better storefronts and stronger commercial streets. Drawing on retail strategy, design, placemaking, and real-world examples, it looks at the details that make ground-floor businesses inviting, memorable, and successful—and at how individual storefronts contribute to the vitality and character of the neighborhoods and downtowns around them.
Caroline Keesler
Caroline Keesler is part of the team at the Tampa Downtown Partnership, working to support a vibrant, connected, and welcoming Downtown Tampa. Her work includes placemaking, public-space activation, events, and programs that bring people together and strengthen the downtown experience.
Third Place Makers
Third Place Makers is a placemaking platform founded by Ivy Lupco that explores and advances the people, ideas, and strategies behind vibrant communities and meaningful places. Through its consulting practice and conversations with place-management professionals, it connects ideas with action across placemaking, community engagement, activation, partnerships, and public-realm strategy.
Storefront Mastery
Storefront Mastery works with downtown organizations, local governments, and independent businesses to turn storefronts into active contributors to the life and economic health of their districts. Founded by Jaime Izurieta, its approach treats the storefront not simply as the entrance to a business, but as the place where commerce meets the public realm—and where design, storytelling, hospitality, and customer experience can help give a street its identity.