Miami New Times’ Post

What if participating in urban planning in your community began by simply telling the stories you hold about the people and places you know? That has been a core question of mine these past 3 years at Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan. Dozens of conversations with researchers, journalists and urban planners brought me to a few conclusions: (1) Local news promotes information access around urban planning issues and provides a public platform for deep listening to community voices, celebrating local successes, and curating visions for the future, while holding urban planners accountable. (2) Urban planners need voiced expressions of lived experience, accountability, and vision to be able to listen to, design with, and create opportunities collectively with communities — all of which is provided by local news. (3) Hyperlocal journalism is struggling to stay afloat across the U.S. (4) Community members have decades of lived experience with urban planning (both its triumphs and its failures), and seek new opportunities to amplify their voices and co-lead their community’s future. Responding to these conclusions, I decided to co-create something at the intersection of cities, stories, and justice: an urban planning citizen journalism training, piloted in Detroit! The Community Journalism Playbook: Reporting on Urban Planning in Your Neighborhood (Detroit) is a free educational resource intended to support students, writers, activists, non-profits, and everyday Detroiters in amplifying the stories they hold around the places they know. The Playbook includes a Crash Course on citizen journalism about urban-planning related topics, a cheat sheet of the different planning bodies in Detroit, explanatory resources around key planning topics in Detroit, as well as a library of Detroit’s data and community journalism resources. The driving idea behind this community-facing Playbook is to use journalism training as a means to transfer power to Detroiters by expanding the diversity of voices narrating and informing public discourse around hyperlocal urban planning problems, solutions, and futures. No professional journalism experience is required to navigate through this tool – all that is required is curiosity and a commitment to contribute in new ways to the narrative and future development of Detroit. I extend sincere gratitude to my brilliant collaborators and generous contributors, including but not limited to, Robert Goodspeed, David Porter and the Detroit River Story Lab, Nina Ignaczak, Kate Abbey-Lambertz, Jena Brooker, Rukiya Colvin, Khalil Ligon, Riverwise Magazine, among others. Interested in hosting a citizen urban planning journalism workshop for your organization, Block Club, or classroom? Would you like to have a similar resource developed for your city? DM me! Available in PDF below or interactive flipbook here: https://lnkd.in/eUZ9-Nex

I have mixed feelings about the loss of the local print publications. I started my career in print at the St. Paul Pioneer Press during the transition from paste-up to digital. There were a lot of changes, but the industry made it through–changed, smaller, different. Today, we're fully in another transition in journalism. This includes the loss of local papers like this article describes, the loss of trust in journalism in general, and general apathy for news and learning different points of view. Now, I have mixed feelings…I don't think keeping a print publication alive is a viable long-term strategy (even though I DO still like getting inky fingers paging through the paper). But RELIABLE local news websites haven't flourished either and studies have shown that civic engagement declines when local news sources disappear. So, what's the answer? I don't know, so in the meantime, read this MinnPost article for some additional thoughts. #localnews #publishing #minnesota https://lnkd.in/gbg59VTT

🗞️ Recently, a New York Times editor I didn’t know called me out of the blue, for an assignment the next day. 🕵🏽 How did she find me? By plugging in “New York City” in their private database. Talk about a wide net. She said my pictures had popped up immediately, and I can’t help but think — paying attention to detail was my saving grace in what was probably a *massive* search return. ✍🏻The details at stake? Precise keywords on every picture I submit & proper metadata structure. But if you haven’t worked on assignment yet, something else that helps? Making it easy for people to find & reach out to you. 2 tips: 🔸 Your direct contact info should be included at the bottom of your website bio — Never (ever) (ever) a contact form 🙃 🔸 Posting regularly on social media (I know I know…). Instagram is a good place to start if you want to stay top of mind for editors. If they aren’t following you quite yet… then you’re building for when they land on your page, asking themselves if they should! 📸: The least & most clastrophobic neighborhoods in NYC for The New York Times — More from the series at the link in comment 👇 #photojournalism

Thanks, Jim! Much gratitude to Editor & Publisher (E&P) Magazine for giving us space to talk about these issues. Interested in joining our working group in the new year? Let me know! #journalism #localnews

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 📊 Dive into the Heartbeat of Ottawa's Neighborhoods! 🏙️ 🔍 Curious about the pulse of Ottawa's wards from 2019 to 2022? Look no further! 📈 Our newly developed dashboard offers an in-depth analysis of complaint trends across each ward, year by year. From downtown buzz to suburban tranquility, uncover the stories behind the numbers! 📉 💡 Gain insights, spot patterns, and fuel your understanding of our city's vibrant tapestry. Don't miss out on this opportunity to stay informed and engaged! 💬 🔗 Share this post with fellow Ottawans, policymakers, and data enthusiasts to spark discussions and drive positive change. Together, let's empower our communities through knowledge! 💪 #ottawa #datadriveninsights #communityengagement #dashboard #empoweringcommunities #dataanalysis #datascience

How Will Major Websites Find You to Link to Your Site? Go through this. Simply create "journalist bait" articles to increase your backlink profile. - Eye-catching infographics - Original research - Compiling statistics - Analyzing data - Unique findings - Novel discoveries - Ultimate reference materials - Predictions and trends Annual summaries 

Here's a great opportunity if you're in DSM for J-Term! Peoples Company has an opportunity for students to serve as a freelance journalist to cover the Land Investment Expo in Des Moines on Jan 9. They are looking for 6-8 students to attend (in person) the Land Investment Expo. Here is the link to the website: https://lnkd.in/gDXdegBy  Assignment: --Each student would attend one session and write a 600-700 word article for the American Farmland Owner newsletter. AFO is a weekly publication written with a focus on farmland owners, investors and those interested in this area.  --Each Land Expo session features either a keynote speaker or a breakout session speaker. In other words, the student journalist is not required to cover the entire, day-long event (Individual sessions are 1-2 hours). The student will only write about one individual session.   --Students are responsible to arrange their own transportation to the event. They may want to travel to the event together for ease in transportation and parking.   --Students are encouraged to read previous newsletter articles at https://lnkd.in/gndJNSpQ to get familiar with the style. Articles are typically focused on one issue, with aggregated content from other sources to provide more depth.   --Students would need to have the article written and submitted by noon Jan. 10, so it can be edited and submitted.  --The student journalist will also work with the Peoples Company team to create two social media posts from the assigned session that go live that day.  Compensation and potential, additional opportunities: --Students will receive $300 for the completed assignment. (Information on how to invoice the company will be sent after students are selected.)   --It is possible that some students will be able to cover two sessions and write an article for that week’s newsletter and write the second article for the next week. That means the deadline for the second article would be the following Monday, Jan. 15 at noon. (The student journalist would get paid for each article.) Students who might be interested in two assignments should let editor Dave Price know in their initial interest email.  --Interested students should email Dave Price at this AFO address by 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22. Contact: [email protected] #quickjob #writing #holidaymagic

2024 New Year's resolution: Share Stories Maybe it is a little early to talk about New Year's Resolutions, but this one may take some warming up to. This year I want to share more stories with people. Keep in mind, sharing stories isn't just about ME talking about concrete, life and the world, but listening to the stories that OTHERS can tell. I think that many people think they don't have stories worth sharing, but stories aren't always about the great things we did. Sometimes they are about the little things that had a great impact on us. EVERYONE has a unique life and EVERYONE has stories to tell. Yes, sometimes you need to find the right people to HEAR those stories. Not everyone laughs at the same joke or appreciates the same story. One of my college roommates, David L. Butler, was one of the smartest political minds I knew. He was a politics nerd. When the rest of us would "permit" him to talk, he would go into great depth on the politics of the world and our university. He would talk until we said, "Shut up, David" and he would go quiet. David went to work for Stars and Stripes in Washington, D.C. In 2000 he was murdered. I now wish I had a chance to hear his stories again. https://lnkd.in/g9zgebyE I really want to hear more stories from people, especially about concrete, since that is what my LinkedIn efforts are directed toward. I'm especially open to concrete mix design, testing and quality control stories, but I'm interested in just about anything related to concrete construction and materials. Have a Happy 2024 and remember - "God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we talk."

We're looking for guest editors for our newsletter! If you're looking for the chance to share about yourself and your business while contributing to our business community, we'd love to have you. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions! Apply here: https://bit.ly/44cRcg2 #MaranaChamber #MaranaChamberofCommerce #SouthernArizona #TucsonBusiness #Community #Newsletter

The significant shortage of much needed homes is driven by several factors, including a lack of clear government policy, planning decisions often made by an older, well-heeled demographic, and financial risks faced by smaller developers. These issues collectively hinder the development of new housing projects. “The number of homes gaining planning permission in England increased steadily from 195,300 in 2012 to 339,473 in 2021. Since then, the number has fallen back to 2015 levels, with just 288,440 homes consented in 2022 – against a backdrop of a housing shortfall.” If you are seeking advice, please contact Clare Bartlett, Partner, and Charlotte Catton-Giltinane AssocRTPI, Planner, from our experienced Chartered Town Planning Department. Click here to read the full article: https://bit.ly/4cIfQIn. #planning #housing #planningpermission #development #planningapproval #newhomes #townplanners #charteredtownplanners #land #home #planningexpert #planninganddevelopment #planningapproval #outlook24 #batchellermonkhouse