We completed a requested article about adding shade structures in parks, business districts, and plazas where people may congregate and be happy to have some artificial shade where trees are not practical.

The National Civic League has published a great article not only about de-escalation of public conflicts, but also about how to innovate away from decades-old public meeting formats that turn people off and often allow the loudest voices to be heard the most. This article is detailed and full of ideas that you can try in your own community.

This Ross Chapin piece is absolutely essential as we talk about building more affordable housing. He calls us to do more than just dealing with the spreadsheets. He says beyond basic affordability according to the dollars and cents of it, we need to enhance the sense of safety, give people privacy, and inspire a sense of community to deal with loneliness. Anything short of this might meet the mark financially, but it will continue to make these communities undesirable, even to those who need them.

If you are not aware of the happy urbanist (Jon Jon Wesolowski), get acquainted with his insightful and provocative views. For a sample, check out this wonderful article highlighting experiences of Copenhagen and Chattanooga in making distinctive places. In brief, the premise is that you should start "placemaking" efforts by serving those who are already hanging out there, adding and not subtracting features as you think of both current and future users.

We expect this to be the last issue of Good Community Plus, unless our contract extends for a month longer than we predict. Reply to this email if you have a comment about its content. If you would like to communicate with the website's principal author, email Nancy using the address plan.agoodcommunity at gmail. She will be delighted to hear from you.