Planetizen Ranks For the Love of Cities Among Top Ten Books for 2012

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Urban planning news web site names Peter Kageyama’s debut book a must-read for planners, architects, policymakers, and developers

St. Petersburg, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2011) – Planetizen, Urban Insight’s globally influential public interest information exchange for the urban planning, design, and development community, has named Peter Kageyama’s debut book to its tenth annual list of the ten best books of the year in urban planning, design and development. For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair between People and Their Places examines what makes cities lovable, what motivates citizens to do extraordinary things for the places they call home, and how cities are using that energy to fill in the gaps that ‘official’ city makers left as resources began to disappear.

“It is an honor to be recognized by Planetizen, one of my favorite websites and a central node in the growing discussion about communities, economic development and planning,” said Kageyama. “The book’s key message - how the mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives – has resonated with audiences across the country. If cities begin thinking of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their citizens, and if we as citizens begin to consider our emotional connections with our places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators—the human heart—in our toolkit of city-making.”

Kageyama speaks to audiences all over the world about “bottom up” community development and the economic benefits that accrue to communities that tap into the emotional wellspring of their most engaged and loyal citizens. In his book, he focuses on how some of America’s most challenged places have transformed into hotbeds of social innovation despite declining budgets or poor leadership. For the Love of Cities features examples of a new breed of ‘co-creators’ who are shaping their cities’ economic future and shows how they can be identified, recruited and engaged by city leaders.

The Planetizen editorial staff based its 2012 list on a number of criteria, including editorial reviews, popularity, number of references, sales figures, recommendations from experts and the book's potential impact on the urban planning, development and design professions. View the full list here: http://www.planetizen.com/books/2012

For the Love of Cities is available on Amazon.com. For more information about the book, please visit http://fortheloveofcities.com.

About the Author

Peter Kageyama is the co-founder and producer of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary event that brings together citizens and practitioners around the big idea of the city. Peter is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization. He has spoken all over the world about bottom up community development and the amazing people that are making change happen.

Media Contact:
Laura Fontanills
laura@common-language.com
813-215-1271

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