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.
IDA Emerging Leadership Fellows (ELF)
The International Downtown Association’s Emerging Leader Fellowship is a professional development program for rising leaders in the place-management and urban-district field. The intensive program brings together a cohort of professionals from around the world for leadership development, peer learning, and exploration of the complex challenges facing downtowns and urban places.
Beyond the formal program, the Fellowship builds a lasting network of practitioners working across business improvement districts, downtown organizations, economic development, placemaking, and related fields—strengthening both individual leaders and the broader profession.
Sheffia Randall-Nickerson
Sheffia Randall-Nickerson, MBA is currently the Chief Engagement and Collaboration Officer at University Circle Inc., the community service corporation responsible for developing, serving and advocating for University Circle as a vibrant and complete neighborhood. Sheffia also held the positions as President and CEO of the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, a non-profit arts education organization and Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Education at Playhouse Square in the center of the Cleveland Theatre District.
University Circle
University Circle is a busy cultural hub with institutions like the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, a modern mirrored structure with regularly changing exhibitions. Severance Hall hosts performances by the Cleveland Orchestra, and paths wind past roses and maple trees at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Casual college bars, ramen joints and Asian fusion eateries dot the area.
Lezlie Lowe
Lezlie Lowe is an author, strategist, consultant, and journalist; a professional communicator with decades of experience. Her work, voice, and the issues she amplifies often centre on urbanism, gender dynamics, and the intersection of the personal and the political.