It feels good to fight and argue, but when there’s no pressure to convince others or be convinced, we listen in ways that allow us to improve our communities.

Social Proximity, Civic Practice, Art of Hosting, Practices and ProtocolsBeth SandersFebruary 13, 2024Social Habitat, Social proximity, Agreements, speaking from, city making, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeComment

It’s All in the Cards

City making, the weaving of city building and city caring, only happens when we have a social habitat in which we choose to weave these perspectives together.

Social Proximity, Civic PracticeBeth SandersOctober 25, 2023Social Habitat, Social proximity, Art of Hosting, Facilitation, city making, city caring, city building Comments

Community Learning

We only organize together if we are in the push and pull of conversation, wrestling with the action we feel we need to take. If not, we are being organized, passive participants in the status quo doing others’ bidding.

Social Proximity, Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersAugust 24, 2023Connection, Conversation, Community, Art of Hosting, Social Habitat, Social proximity, Conversation bypassingComment

Stepping into Vulnerability

An impromptu check-in invited awe in self, others and a beautiful place.

Civic practice, Social ProximityBeth SandersJuly 17, 2023Check-in, Social Habitat, Mountain, #lakeohara, yohonationalpark, backcountry, sacred mountain, Art of HostingComment

Social Habitat Competencies

Let’s release the binary ways we define city planning practice and grow our relationship skills (for the official and unofficial planners out there)

Civic PracticeBeth SandersMay 28, 2021Social Habitat, Relationship, APPIComment

Power Patterns in ‘Wobbly’ Circles

You know that feeling, when a gathering or meeting just isn’t going as well as it should? When something feels off but we just can’t quite put our finger on it? It might be a wobbly because people are not clear on what I call the “hosting pattern” for the gathering.

Art of Hosting, Civic PracticeBeth SandersOctober 6, 2020Social Habitat, circle, Art of Hosting, hostingComment

Street Corner Visiting

I’ve long been struggling with how we can gather in ways that are socially proximate. When we gather at conferences, for example, we are physically close, but socially separate as we sit and listen to the expert sage on the stage. I’ve had what I call “a keynote itch” that needs to be scratched. And it will work both face-to-face and online. I call it Street Corner Visiting.

Conversation, Be the Best Citizen You Can Be, Practices and ProtocolsBeth SandersMarch 22, 2020Street corner visiting, Social HabitatComment

The Keynote Itch

I’ve long been uncomfortable with keynote speakers who fly in, speak for an hour or so, and then fly out. This format of information delivery is a download, often without confirming the download is the right download, let alone if the download is complete and meets the needs of the audience.

Be the Best Citizen You Can Be, Practices and ProtocolsBeth SandersMarch 22, 2020keynote, street corner visiting, Social HabitatComment

Coming out of Hiding

It was a tense part of the meeting, when the neighbours were challenging city staff about who the city was going to invite to an upcoming meeting. It was one of those moments when I’m quietly telling myself: this is tricky, so make sure you say the right thing or this is going to go off the rails!

My Work, Practices and Protocols, Writing from the Red ChairBeth SandersJanuary 31, 2020Hiding, Power, Red Chair, Social Habitat, Sovereignty, Superpowers, Beth SandersComment

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