We’re starting a new post here at kickstART farmington that highlights some great articles we’ve read this week dealing with art, creative placemaking, and building great communities. You’re sure to find some inspiration to make our community even better!

1. “University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates”, and 9 other reasons to support the arts!

2. “The automobile-oriented suburban way of life — anti-density, anti-mixed-use, anti-walking, ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ — has long been portrayed as something to aspire to. This attitude is changing …” and more.

3.  “The built environment–the streets, sidewalks, and neighborhoods we inhabit–can encourage us to know one another and grow social capital and civic virtue or they can foster isolation and wariness”: On how faith communities can answer the call to love their neighbors through nurturing good places for people to live together.

4. “How tragic it is that we’ve built our cities on the assumption that all of us will drive or be driven everywhere, even to the neighborhood coffee shop”: creating cities that work for people.

5. Do you know of any stairways in need of a fun (and musical) makeover? Perhaps the stairway down to Shiawassee Park?