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.

Chip Chip 12/30/25 Chip Chip 12/30/25

New Years 2026

Sidewalk Ballet’s New Year’s Resolutions are a collection of ideas, provocations, and aspirations for making cities better in the year ahead. Drawn from conversations across the Sidewalk Ballet community, they offer a playful but purposeful look at the things city-makers might resolve to do differently—from how we design and manage places to how we listen, collaborate, experiment, and make room for joy.

Chip Chip 11/1/25 Chip Chip 11/1/25

Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs was a writer, activist, and urban thinker whose close observation of everyday street life transformed how generations understand cities. Her work challenged top-down planning and championed mixed uses, short blocks, density, and the complex social choreography of sidewalks and neighborhoods. Her description of that choreography gave Sidewalk Ballet its name.