Ali Butcher is a Vancouver-based geographer, historian, and city enthusiast who works with the Tour Guys – “a collective of story tellers, history nerds, and pop-culture buffs who revel in exposing locals and visitors alike to Vancouver’s unique brand of urbanism.” He recently gave a TEDx talk in Jacksonville, Florida called Re-Imagining Urban Space. It reminded us of how good we have it in comparison to, say, Jacksonville, Florida.

Butcher challenges us to pursue a new urban fabric for Jacksonville: one where public art is enshrined in our development policies; where transportation planners reevaluate the primacy of the car; where innovative, sustainable design and a sense of connection are prized; and where we reconnect our minds and bodies into the landscapes that inspire and sustain us.

TAKE ANOTHER BREAK