The Black Urbanist — The Placemaking Blog of Kristen Jeffers
Image by Jay’s Fine Art Photography
- A hip-hop blog. It’s time we stopped equating urban culture with black culture. While black culture is a part of urban culture, it’s not the whole picture. However, there will be the occasional hip-hop song because I like music.
- A complete slam of suburban and rural living. I’m all for better design, communities and planning, no matter if you are highly dense or you are un-incorporated.
- The only opinion from a person of color (or any person) on these issues.
- A chance to present all these issues above and highlight folks of color engaged in all these areas.
- A chance for me to frame my ideas on the issues within my own cultural background.
- A learning experience.
- A chance to change the world.
She has presented at the annual Congress for New Urbanism on civic pride, cultural diversity, and the power of grassroots in communities. In addition, she participated on a panel at the 2012 UNC Global American South conference on the reverse migration of African Americans. She is a Streetsblog Network member and featured contributor to Sustainable Cities Collective. She has also contributed articles to CityLab, Greater Greater Washington [Greensboro] News & Record, Yes! Weekly, Grist, Next City, Better! Towns and Cities, Triad City Beat, Urban Escapee and Urbanful
Get my weekly diary of urban living and things you should check out: Or email me directly: Email
How to follow me: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
My podcast with Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman: Third Wave Urbanism
My communications and design consultancy (public speaking, social media and some surface pattern design, along with highlights from this page and the podcast).
Must Read Posts
You can always read them here or you can order my book and get a few of them condensed, plus more on the influence both parents have had on this project. You can also see my latest posts here.
Building on Theories and Practice of Black Urbanism in Our New World
Questions to Ask (and Traps to Avoid) When Considering a Career in Placemaking
The Quest for a Forever Home in an Era of Mass Gentrification
Place in A Time of Terror and Inequality
Why Road Gentrification Is Good Gentrification
Putting Place and Experience Back Into Retail
Why We May Never Have the Right Words for the Places We Live
Things that Should Never Be in Driving Distance
Whose Suburbs are We Talking About Again?
Can We Let the People Gentrify Themselves?
The Privilege of Urbanism, The Democracy of Placemaking
Everything I Learned About Place, I Learned on Campus
The Common Man’s Legacy in A City
Coming Back to the Streets, Coming Back to Action
The American Expat, In America
Does it Matter Who Owns the Corner Store?
The Creative Class: Off the Record and On The Money
Reconciling Education Reform and New Urbanism
Are There Really No Things to Do for Young Black Professionals in North Carolina
The Continuous Quest to Mentaly Cope With Modern Civic Life as a Young Black Woman Professional