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.
Diana Lind
Diana Lind is a writer, urban policy specialist, and author of Brave New Home. Through her Substack, The New Urban Order, she explores housing, public space, culture, and the changing nature of cities, connecting policy and big ideas to the everyday experience of urban life.
Jane’s Walk
Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, community-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs.
On the first weekend of May every year, Jane’s Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities around the world.
Urban Design Forum
The Urban Design Forum brings together people across design, planning, development, government, advocacy, and civic life to shape the future of New York City. Through programs, fellowships, policy initiatives, and neighborhood partnerships, it treats citymaking as a collaborative civic practice.
Ayana Smith
Ayana Smith is a native New Yorker and experienced youth organizer whose current practice focuses on implementing participatory creative placekeeping projects as a tool to increase public safety in and around public housing developments. Prior to her current position, she held leadership positions at Teens Take Charge and Student Voice and has served as a youth advisor for several organizations such as Race Forward. Her work has been featured in publications such as the New York Daily News and presented at conferences such as Grantmakers for Education through the National Public Education Support Fund.