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.
National Mall Coalition
The National Mall Coalition advocates for comprehensive, forward-looking stewardship of America’s most prominent civic gathering place. Bringing together preservationists, planners, educators, and citizens, it works to ensure the National Mall remains vital, accessible, and capable of serving future generations.
Why Public Space Matters
Drawing on decades of ethnographic research around the world, Setha Low examines how public spaces contribute to belonging, social connection, justice, and democratic life—and why the everyday experience of plazas, parks, markets, beaches, and sidewalks matters to individual and collective flourishing.
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson’s 1939 concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial drew an integrated crowd of 75,000 after she was denied Constitution Hall because of her race. The performance became a defining example of public space expanding who could gather, belong, and be seen as part of “We the People.”
Evan Weissman
Evan Weissman was a Denver-based artist, organizer, and civic provocateur who founded Warm Cookies of the Revolution, a “civic health club” that used art, culture, conversation, and a healthy dose of playfulness to get people engaged in civic life. His work explored how democracy could become something people actively practice together—not simply something they participate in at election time.