Can Neighbors be Friends? January 12, 2023 We all have neighbors, but you may be wondering if neighbors can double as friends. Loneliness has become an epidemic in our modern world. Though the pandemic hasn’t helped, the situation was bad even before COVID. In 2019, 61% of Americans over the age of 18 reported... Shawn Duncan
Sense of Place and Architecture October 11, 2022 Sense of Place is a concept that Community Developers use to describe how a resident or neighbor experiences their space. When we talk about sense of place, it’s usually to capture a resident’s relationship with their neighborhood. Environment is a powerful factor in... Shawn Duncan
City Shapers Update: Holland, Michigan August 30, 2022 As you know, we have been launching City Shapers cohorts across the country! We recently got back from our second gathering with the Holland City Shapers team. We caught up with Lead Trainer David Park to hear about the progress being made in this city. If YOU are... Shawn Duncan
Rootedness vs. Sense of Place August 11, 2022 You’ve heard us talk about the importance of focusing on Place. In particular, we’ve been explaining the concept of Sense of Place and how it can supercharge neighborhood transformation. Today, we want to talk about related but distinct concepts: rootedness and... Shawn Duncan
Case Study: City Shapers in Bowling Green July 19, 2022 We are celebrating BIG! Our first ever City Shapers cohort has nearly completed the 2-year curriculum. When the City of Bowling Green first approached us, they came with one glaring challenge: the housing crisis. In those early days, we had a lot of conversations to... Shawn Duncan
Why is Sense of Place Important July 15, 2022 Why Sense of Place Matters to Development “A place is only a place.” If you are well-versed in traveling and experiences, you may cast doubt upon author Frank Herbert’s words. They are only true if you deprive a place of its character. Places carry... Shawn Duncan
Lupton Center Celebrates 3 City Shapers Cohorts, Seeks More July 7, 2022 You may recall that 18 months ago, we stepped into a tremendous opportunity: we received a $1 million grant to expand the work of the Lupton Center at FCS. Specifically, these funds would empower us to launch City Shapers cohorts in 12 cities over the next few years.... Shawn Duncan
Sense of Place: What is it? July 5, 2022 Sense of Place is a little bit like the elephant touched by various mice in the fable – lots of other concepts touch on pieces of it. Neighborhood identity, local pride, character, and vibe are all different terms and words you may hear people use when... Shawn Duncan
Sense of Place: A Holistic Overview June 27, 2022 We all know what a thriving community looks like, but it can be tough to nail down WHY we know it’s healthy or what to look for. One of the key pieces we look for when assessing a neighborhood’s health is “Sense of Place.” Like the idea of... Shawn Duncan
3 Ways to Identify Toxic Charity May 31, 2022 The Lupton Center is passionate about helping neighborhood practitioners move far away from toxic charity. In fact, our existence stems from the experiences our founder Bob Lupton had as he recognized the ways well-meaning people who wanted to help ended up causing... Shawn Duncan