Paul Kalbfleisch, an artist, speaker and writer on city building, consults on city strategies prioritizing economic, social and environmental benefits. He is the co-author of The JOY Experiments: Reimagining Mid-Sized Cities as a Tool to Heal Our Divided Society.
We are at a pivotal moment in urban development, facing a housing crisis that affects cities across North America. While addressing the housing shortage is unquestionably critical, we must also remember that cities, especially great cities, are more than shelters.
Cities are the birthplace of inventions, new forms of collaboration and vibrant social interactions. Over the years, much of the social infrastructure that fostered these interactions — such as corner stores, bowling alleys, clubs and bustling main streets — has been stripped away. Therefore, as we work to provide shelter and basic security, we must also rekindle the idea of cities as habitats for the human spirit, laying the foundations for a united, collaborative and flexible society capable of tackling the complex, interconnected issues of our age.
Often, traditional methods of city-building can obscure new opportunities. Perhaps we are now at a point where the erosion of old principles can allow us to leap forward with innovative ideas.
Historically, the relationship between a city and its residents was framed by the Live, Work, Play planning model. This model assumed that these three attributes, in that order, were what people looked for in a potential city. A core pillar of Live was housing and, in North America, home ownership. However, while cities are working diligently to catch up with the housing problem, the underlying causes and the attribute Live are often beyond a city’s control.
Another sign of a weakening city-resident relationship is the post-pandemic shift to flexible work models, especially in the innovation economy. Work is becoming less of a determining factor in where people live. Last year, 35% of workers did some or all of their work at home, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, meaning that Work is also an attribute not fully within a city’s control.
These changes suggest that cities are losing relevance in their relationship with residents, potentially leading to an era of mediocre cities. But mediocrity is not sufficient for social, economic and environmental reasons. Cities need to thrive. Anything less will accelerate social isolation and division.
If we move past the old, ineffective priorities, we can see a new opportunity in Play. Traditionally, Play was the afterthought attribute of city building — prioritized last, funded with leftover money and created on land that wasn’t useful for anything else. Given the tenuous state of Live and Work, how a city facilitates social interaction between residents (Play) is now the best way to differentiate its offering and directly improve social and economic prosperity. Moreover, Play is entirely within the control of cities.
Play, as a city attribute, means connecting residents and making them feel they belong. It means celebrating a city’s uniqueness and identity, putting inclusiveness into action, supporting an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering trust and compassion, and offering vibrancy that helps a generation often cut out of homeownership feel like fully valued residents of a city.
Practically speaking, Play and the collective joy it creates can help address the housing crisis and other contemporary issues. Joyful cities redefine what it means to live in urban density in a “smaller” home by devoting public space to playful participation. In this model, neighborhoods become the best amenity for a home, and the city becomes everyone’s communal backyard.
Joyful cities are also more competitive in today’s innovation economy, which thrives on ideas, invention and the people who create them. A city’s ability to attract creative talent through vibrant living, collaborative spaces and a lifestyle that blends work and play will determine its economic future.
Despite our efforts to solve the housing problem, cities are unlikely to revert to what they once were. But we can move forward with a Play+Live+Work = Thriving joyful cities prioritization.
It starts with asking, "How do we want our city to play?"
