The city we inherit.
The city we make.
Essays, observations, and stories about the places we share—and the kind of life they make possible.
Latest essays
Our three most recent pieces.
Why Community Has to Be Scheduled
Block parties reveal what neighborhoods lack between events: normal places where neighbors meet, build familiarity, and see each other again.
We Built the Outside for Cars
Boise’s streets and neighborhoods were shaped around the automobile. What happens when a useful machine becomes the city's organizing logic?
The Enormous Gamble
Boise was built through enormous risk. What should a generation with greater security, wealth, and knowledge be willing to build in return?
Earlier essays
Continue through the archive, or explore a subject.
When Standing Straight Feels Strange
August 17, 2026
When Neighbor Became a Question
August 10, 2026
The Architecture of Adulthood
August 3, 2026
The Cultural Autoimmune Disorder
July 27, 2026
Why We Wait for Disaster
July 20, 2026
The City Cannot Be All Work
July 13, 2026
The City That Helps You Remember
July 6, 2026
The Sidewalk That Stopped Thinking
June 29, 2026
From Place to Parcel: How Ownership Geometry Fractured Civic Life
June 23, 2026
The Heavy Lift: Why We Cannot Build Our Own Cathedrals
June 15, 2026
A Few Words Beside the Path
June 8, 2026
We’ve Forgotten Who We Are
June 1, 2026
The ideas behind the work.
Explore the civic vision that connects the essays to places and projects across Boise.
More to think about.
Weekly essays about place, public life, and Boise’s future. Occasional updates on Table Rock, Civic Path, the youth docuseries, and our nonprofit’s work.
Choose either or both. You can change your preferences or unsubscribe using the links in our emails.