Book Review: "Love Where You Live" is an inspiring guide for individuals passionate about enhancing their communities

 


Peter Kageyama's Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places builds upon his earlier work, For the Love of Cities, delving deeper into the emotional connections between people and their communities. The book offers practical insights for both official and unofficial community leaders to foster environments that residents can genuinely love.

Three Lessons Worth Remembering

  1. Empowering Local Co-Creators

    Kageyama emphasizes the importance of building networks of co-creators within communities. He suggests that by engaging passionate residents in the development process, cities can cultivate a sense of ownership and pride among inhabitants. This collaborative approach not only enhances the city's appeal but also strengthens community bonds.

  2. Embracing Authentic Identity

    The author advises communities to discover and embrace their authentic identities. By highlighting unique cultural, historical, or natural attributes, cities can differentiate themselves and foster a sense of belonging among residents. This authenticity attracts both locals and visitors, contributing to a vibrant community life.

  3. Leveraging Small Investments for Big Changes

    Kageyama illustrates how modest funding can lead to significant community improvements. He provides examples of small-scale projects that have had substantial positive impacts, demonstrating that even limited resources, when used creatively, can make a city more livable and lovable.

Positive Observation

The book is lauded for its practical approach, offering actionable steps that community leaders can implement to enhance their cities. Kageyama's enthusiasm and optimism inspire readers to believe in their capacity to effect change, regardless of their official positions or resources.

Negative Observations

  1. Limited Exploration of Challenges

    While the book provides numerous examples of successful community initiatives, it may not sufficiently address the challenges and obstacles that can arise during implementation. A more in-depth discussion on overcoming resistance or failure would offer a more balanced perspective.

  2. Potential Overemphasis on Small-Scale Projects

    Kageyama highlights the impact of small investments, which is encouraging; however, this focus might underplay the importance of larger infrastructural developments necessary for comprehensive urban improvement. A discussion on integrating small-scale projects with broader city planning efforts could provide a more holistic view.

In conclusion, Love Where You Live serves as an inspiring guide for individuals passionate about enhancing their communities. Kageyama's insights encourage readers to take initiative, embrace authenticity, and recognize the power of small actions in creating emotionally engaging places.

Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com or visit his website at http://engagedneighbor.com.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Cities Named Most Neighborly in Missouri for 2024

Image
  Photo above: From a block party in Ferguson, Missouri. New to Missouri Good Neighbor Week this year was recognition for the most neighborly cities in the state.  This honor was based on points earned by participating in the week, city campaigns and proclamations, residents making nominations for most engaged neighbor and reporting acts of neighboring, and statewide or local prizes won.  "The goal was to further engage cities with Missouri Good Neighbor Week and we had over 12 pass proclamations and at least 12 that had organized city-wide efforts for Missouri Good Neighbor Week," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "We ended the week with over 31,000 documented acts of neighboring and five cities worthy of the title 'most neighborly city' in Missouri." In 2024, five cities were named the most neighborly cities in Missouri: Houston, Excelsior Springs, Sikeston,...
Read more

Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbors Honored as Part of Missouri Good Neighbor Week

Image
 Jessica Bueler, Saint Louis City, Missouri During Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2024, over 120 individuals were nominated as Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbor, and 22 were selected for individual recognition. Our Missouri celebration also got national attention from NextDoor, the social media company, whose leadership team worked with us to create a post that went out nationwide on NextDoor on Sept. 27.  You can access it here . At that point, another 50 nominations poured in from across the state. "The nominations were of really high quality this year," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Every nominee should have received a letter letting them know of the nomination and a memento, a Missouri Good Neighbor Week nominee keychain." The top nominees (22 this year) will receive a check for $100 and an official award certificate. In past years, there have been 50 to 60 n...
Read more

Results of 2024 Missouri Good Neighbor Week Exceed 30,000 Acts of Neighboring!

Image
  Several hands have been busy tabulating the final results from the 4th Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week. While those volunteers and partners are invaluable, people like you are also worthy of thanks.  Individual Missourians who reported their acts of neighboring nominated someone for an award, or organized a block party! Or you were on one of 60 committees with University of Missouri Extension to organize county-level efforts that account for over 14,000 acts of neighboring this year!  No matter your role or level of involvement, thank you. On another positive note, the efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, I have received inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado. How exciting! Based on this year's results, the future seems bright. ENGAGED NEIGHBORS. We have already announced the 22 individuals being recognized as Missouri...
Read more