Closer with Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace

What turns a busy crossroads into a place where people want to linger, meet friends, and connect with strangers? Julie Stein, executive director of the Union Square Partnership, joins Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace to explore how public space builds community and strengthens a neighborhood’s economy. From quieter streets and pedestrian plazas to the Greenmarket, lunchtime jazz, and a simple movable chair, Julie shares what makes Union Square welcoming—and how partnerships can turn temporary experiments into lasting improvements. A conversation about giving people reasons to come, reasons to stay, and opportunities to connect.
CLOSER is a conversation about the strategies that make cities more social and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

In this episode of CLOSER, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Tony Sorrentino, President and CEO of Fairmount Park Conservancy in Philadelphia. Tony explains how the Conservancy supplements the city’s resources through fundraising, planning, ecological restoration, historic preservation, and public programming.
The conversation explores who should pay for beauty and innovation in public space, why clear roles and constant communication are essential to successful public-private partnerships. Tony also offers practical advice for anyone creating a conservancy: respect the public partner, embrace some ambiguity, never surprise one another, and approach the work with humility and a spirit of public service.
CLOSER is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.
 

Can a simple walk change how we see our city and one another?
In this episode of CLOSER, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Laura Conley, founder of Urban Paths. For 15 years, Laura has led walks across Houston that bring people together through movement, nature, public art, connection, and the practice of noticing.
Laura explains how group walking can do more than support physical and mental well-being. In the relaxed rhythm of moving together, strangers begin to connect, assumptions soften, and small shifts in perception accumulate. Laura discusses a recent research pilot and how small nudges can help strangers to meet each other.
CLOSER is a conversation about the strategies that make cities social, and why that’s the smartest investment in the urban toolkit. New episodes are released every Thursday.

Parks aren’t just amenities. They’re essential city infrastructure.
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Catherine Nagel, longtime executive director of City Parks Alliance, about the evolving role of urban parks and the legacy of her more than two decades of leadership.
How can parks address challenges ranging from public health and climate resilience to economic development and social isolation? And what does it take to secure the funding, partnerships and public support needed to sustain them?
Catherine explains why parks must be understood as flexible, multi-use infrastructure; how cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Detroit are connecting public space to broader civic priorities; and why effective advocacy begins with data and strong local coalitions. She also explores the role of thoughtful programming, community engagement and a welcoming “hosting” mindset in turning parks into places where people from different backgrounds form meaningful connections.
Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social, and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

How often do major investments in civic space fall short of their potential for lack of a few small enhancements? And why are private pools so much more beautiful and inviting  than our public ones?
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Ben Bryant, senior associate at Interface Studio, about Philadelphia’s Pop-Up Pool Project. Supported by the Knight Foundation, the project has become a model for Philadelphia and New York, inspiring the transformation of 40 public pools that collectively welcome more than half a million visitors each summer.
Ben explains how relatively modest changes in design, programming, and operations can help public spaces bring people together across race and income.
The conversation ranges from Aqua Zumba to MIT’s legendary Building 20, revealing a common principle: frequent, low-stakes encounters can turn existing places into engines of social connection, especially when the experience is fun and surprising.
Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social, and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

Bringing diverse people together in a public space is important, but recent research indicates that proximity alone does not create new connections.
In this episode of Closer, Dr. Leigh Graham, senior advisor for innovation research at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University shares early insights from research and pilots in parks across the country.  Dr. Graham has been working with Carol on exploring how public spaces can become engines of social interaction across race, class, age, and other differences.
What transforms strangers sharing a space into people who actually engage with one another? And how can public-space leaders make that happen intentionally, affordably, and at scale?
The conversation explores the power of simple prompts,  welcoming gestures, and staff who see themselves as hosts. It also examines why weak ties matter, how practitioners can use research without becoming academics, and why creating social connection may require little more than giving people permission to say hello.
Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social, and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

Where does extraordinary come from, especially when so much of what gets built doesn’t come close?
In this episode of Closer, cultural anthropologist Sandra Kulli draws on four decades of work with developers around the world to reveal how small changes can produce big results over time. Her approach begins with three questions: Where are you today? What is missing? And what would you never give up?
From Los Angeles and its 89 small neighborhoods to communities across the globe, Sandra finds that extraordinary places rarely emerge from grand gestures. They grow from little gestures of love: listening closely, inviting people to participate, and creating moments of welcome and belonging.
The things that make people happy are often free, but they must be planned as carefully as streets, schools, and other infrastructure. Sandra shows us how designing for connection can turn an ordinary development into a community people truly love.
Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social—and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

Is it possible to work at a systems-wide level, recognize how deeply interconnected our world is, and still avoid being paralyzed by its complexity? 
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Kate Orff, founding principal of SCAPE and the first landscape architect to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
Kate explains why parks, greenways, coastlines, and living ecosystems should be treated as essential urban infrastructure. Drawing on work in Memphis, Jacksonville, Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York, she explores the power of connected landscapes to cool cities, protect communities, and bring people together. She also shares how cities can move beyond climate “doom and gloom” by imagining the future they want and building toward it step by step.
Closer is a conversation hosted by Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace about the strategies that make cities more social—and why that is the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

What can be learned from one man's fight to make his city more welcoming and social?  
Alex Zhu, founder of the Baltimore Chamber of Connection, is building a movement to help people feel more connected to their neighbors, their communities, and the city they call home.
In this episode of Closer, Mark Wallace and Carol Coletta talk with Alex about pairing newcomers with Baltimore Ambassadors, supporting the people who bring communities together, and creating simple opportunities for connection—from neighborhood gatherings to sunset potlucks in Patterson Park.
Together, they explore the vital role of hosts and public spaces, the challenge of funding social infrastructure, and how stronger relationships across lines of difference can produce healthier people and more resilient communities.
It’s a conversation about belonging, civic life, and what it takes to build a city where everyone feels welcome.

If Detroit can reinvent itself, what can other cities learn from its example?
Eric Larson, CEO of the Detroit Downtown Partnership, has spent more than three decades helping shape one of America's most remarkable urban comeback stories.
In this episode of Closer, Mark Wallace and Carol Coletta talk with Eric about the role of public spaces, public-private partnerships, and civic leadership in transforming Detroit from a symbol of urban decline into a model for downtown revitalization.
Together, they explore why some downtowns are thriving while others continue to struggle after the pandemic, why diversity of people, uses, and experiences is essential for resilient cities, and who is responsible for holding a city's long-term vision as administrations and corporate leaders come and go.
It's a conversation about leadership, stewardship, and the investments that make cities not just more prosperous, but more social.