My dearest cities, it’s that special month — where the mistletoe has been replaced by hearts and chocolate candies — and we must confess: you make us swoon. You’ve been our love for as long as we can remember. Remember when the naysayers remarked that “cities are dead” during the COVID crisis? We merely winked at one another, because we knew the truth. From the original grid plan of Rome, to Haussmann’s grand Parisian boulevards, to the superblocks of Barcelona, you will forever continue to reinvent yourself (even when we do terrible things to you, like post-World War II urban renewal).
Like an intricate jigsaw puzzle, you bring together all the ingredients that can make for a high-quality, productive and purposeful life. You give us beauty and wayfinding in your unique urban designs, street architectures, signage, and building facades. You give us better physical health and transportation options through bike lanes, accessible sidewalks, tree canopies, community gardens, and mobility hubs. You connect us as humans through places to gather and commune, whether that be in parks, activated alleyways, plazas, markets, mixed-use and transit-oriented developments, or through public art.
I could go on forever, but those are a few highlights. Any of these characteristics, on their own, could easily be disregarded. But that is what makes you, cities, so special. You are the ecosystem that integrates all the moving, messy, beautiful pieces of our human lives into collective places, networks, communities, and opportunities that are our built environment.
Now, as in every relationship … there are a few things we’d still love for you to work on. Can we see a few more dedicated bus lanes; a handful more community electric vehicle chargers? Can you integrate climate and equity considerations into all your plans, at every step along the way? Also — a little refresh of your zoning codes to better ensure a balance of housing affordability, economic development, and sense of place would be great.
But please don’t worry, dear cities — these are not gripes. We just want to help you be your best. Depending on what you are committed to improving upon, Cityfi is ready with policy, design, data, partnership, and organizational development solutions (just to name a few).
But I do not want to detract from the original purpose of this letter — which is to say, dear cities, how much we love and appreciate you. We would not be who we are without you.
