Closer with Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace

In this special episode, Carol Coletta returns from Europe with fresh ideas about district-scale development and the invisible nudges that can turn strangers into neighbors.
Drawing on visits to Copenhagen's remarkable experiments in hybrid social infrastructure, Carol shares lessons from places that blur the line between community center, restaurant, park, and public square. Together, Mark and Carol explore what makes places like Folkehuset Absalon and Spor10 work, whether those models could succeed in American cities, and why context, density, and long-term civic vision matter so much in creating vibrant public life.
The conversation also turns to a question every city should be asking: Who holds the civic vision for the future?
Closer is a conversation about the strategies that make cities more social — and why that may be the smartest investment in the urban toolkit.

What happens when artists are invited to shape a project from the very beginning, not simply asked to decorate it at the end? How can developers, architects, and artists work together to create places that are more authentic, more welcoming, and ultimately more valuable?
Juanita Hardy, a longtime champion of creative placemaking and former vice chair of the Urban Land Institute's Placemaking Council, shares what she has learned about the role artists can play in shaping successful developments, public spaces, and communities. She also discusses a new Urban Land Institute report that makes the case for integrating artists into development teams from the earliest stages of a project.
The conversation explores why creative placemaking creates value for developers, how artists can be meaningfully integrated into projects from the outset, and what it takes to move beyond predictable formulas to create places with a genuine sense of identity and belonging.
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 does it take to create a community where residents of different incomes, backgrounds, and experiences feel connected to one another?
In this episode of CLOSER, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Tanja Mitchell, President and CEO of Mitchell Consulting and the unofficial “Mayor of Uptown,” a mixed-income neighborhood in Memphis that has become a national model for community transformation.
Tanja shares the lessons she learned helping guide Uptown from a struggling public housing community to a vibrant neighborhood where public housing residents, professionals, and families live side by side.Tanja offers a practical blueprint for creating neighborhoods where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to shape their future.
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.

“A second of love is a game changer; it is the beginning of a paradigm shift.”
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Michael Van Valkenburgh, one of the most influential landscape architects of our time. Through projects ranging from neighborhood playgrounds to some of North America's most celebrated parks, Michael has helped shape the way people experience cities while inspiring generations of designers.
Michael reflects on the projects that defined his career, the lessons he has learned from community engagement, and the role parks play in bringing people together across lines of race, class, and age. He shares why great clients are collaborators rather than customers, how landscape architecture has emerged as one of the defining design disciplines of our era, and why the simple act of watching children play may be one of the most powerful tools for building social connection.
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 for a city to be both flexible and intentional?  How can a fast-growing city create public spaces that invite people to spend time together?
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Rebekah Jane (RJ) Justice, the Chief of Urban Design and Development for the City of Knoxville about how cities can grow without losing the qualities that make people love them in the first place.
RJ shares how her city has shifted from simply chasing investment to strategically guiding it, and why the most important question in urban design may simply be: Who feels invited here?
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.

Have we optimized ourselves into loneliness?  What if the antidote to social isolation isn’t technology or convenience, but shared meals, table tennis, and a little intentional friction?
In this episode of CLOSER, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Lennart Lajboschitz, founder of Absalon, the beloved Copenhagen community house that welcomes nearly 600,000 visitors a year.
Built inside a former church, Absalon has become an international model for social connection through communal dining, shared activities, and the radical idea that cities should create more opportunities for strangers to become neighbors.
Lennart shares how tiny design choices can transform human behavior, and why hosts may be the most important people in public space. From communal dinners to music bingo to 500-person table tennis nights, this conversation explores how intentional spaces can foster kindness, belonging, and joy.
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.

Two radical ideas: everyone is an artist and making art together can bring us together. 
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Josephine Ramirez, a veteran arts funder and nonprofit leader whose career includes senior roles at The Music Center and the James Irvine Foundation.
Why has the arts world drawn such sharp lines between “artists” and everyone else? And what if creativity is less about excellence, and more about connection?
Josephine shares her provocative vision for flipping the traditional arts model: shifting focus away from elite performance and toward mass participation. She explores how art can function as a core human practice, why nonprofit funding structures may be reinforcing exclusion, and how everyday creativity—from community choirs to public practice—can build stronger, more connected communities.
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 does it take to unlock creativity in communities that already have deep social bonds? And why it a good strategy to leave a park unfinished?
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Leah Houston, founder and executive director of Mabelle Arts in Toronto’s Mabelle Park, where artists and residents collaborate to design, build, and program public space together. Her work has transformed a neglected park into a vibrant hub for connection, creativity, and community life, earning her the inaugural Tim Jones Creative Placemaking Award.
Leah shares how participation can be more powerful than discussion, why artistic vision is essential to getting things done, and how embracing the unfinished nature of public space creates room for ongoing connection and evolution. We explore the tension between grassroots work and institutional systems, the role of parks in building relationships, and why making things together may be the most effective way to bring people closer.
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 does it take to turn forgotten infrastructure into places people love? And how are parks and public space leaders growing a movement to truly bring people together?
 
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Bridget Marquis and Kira Strong, two national leaders shaping the future of public space.
 
Kira Strong is Executive Director of the Highline Network, a coalition of 46 of the best parks and trails in the country that together attract almost 50 million visitors a year. Bridget Marquis leads Reimagining the Civic Commons, a remarkable coalition of 11 communities working to make public assets work harder and produce more for cities.
 
Bridget and Kira share how investing in parks, trails, and civic assets can unlock social connection, economic opportunity, and environmental impact. We explore why “hosting” matters as much as design, how small interventions can build trust in communities, and why the public realm may be the most overlooked tool cities have to bring people together.
 
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 happens when art leaves the theater and shows up on the street? Why are some planners afraid of the public? And what can cities learn from the way artists see the world?
In this episode of Closer, Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace talk with Ryan Meyers Johnson, Executive Director of Sidewalk Detroit, about how art, choreography, and small experiments in public space can transform the way people experience their city—and each other.
Ryan shares how site-specific performance invites people to become part of the work, why artists can see possibility where others see problems, and how humility and curiosity are essential to building trust in communities. This conversation explores how creativity can unlock the hidden magic in neighborhoods and help cities feel more connected, alive, and human.
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.