The Surprising Power of Everyday Spaces for Our Health and Wellbeing
Thank you to everyone who attended the live interview and discussion on October 10, 2024! The recording of this live conversation will be published as an At Home, On Air podcast episode soon.
In the meantime, enjoy listening to previous conversations, and please share! You may find us by searching for ‘At Home, On Air’ wherever you listen to podcasts.
“How our bodies are allowed to move through everyday spaces significantly contributes to whether we feel our lives are precious. How places enable physical freedom is one part of how they do the placework of supporting ourselves; freedom is in both our bodies and our minds.”
Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani
Thank You to Our Featured Guest:
Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani | Photographer, Urbanist, Author, Co-Founder of Buscada
Thank You to Our Forum Host:
Susanne Stadler | Architect, Executive Director of At Home With Growing Older
Conversation Details:
In this episode, we delve into the often-overlooked impact of everyday places on our health and wellbeing. Photographer and urbanist Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani’s recent book, The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places, highlights the crucial role that familiar spaces—ranging from supermarkets to donut shops to neighborhood parks—play in fostering connections and enhancing community health. Join us as we discover how recognizing and revitalizing these unassuming spaces can combat social isolation and cultivate stronger, healthier communities with a shared sense of purpose.
Key Topics of Discussion:
- Her book, The Cities We Need
- Where does home start?
- Ways to connect
- Responsibilities and care for shared spaces
- The right to walk
- Neighborhood tours
More About Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani:
Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani is a photographer and urbanist with 20 years of experience working to understand people’s relationship to city spaces, and a PhD in environmental psychology. She is the author of Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York’s Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (University of Iowa Press, 2019). She is currently on a book tour for her newest book The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places (MIT Press, 2024), which is the culmination of two decades of research and art practice. Gabrielle is also the co-founder of Buscada, an interdisciplinary studio to promote more just cities. She was previously a professor of urban studies and public art at the New School in New York and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Visual Culture at the International Center of Photography and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Urban Community Research at Goldsmiths, University of London. Gabrielle also holds a doctorate from the Graduate Center, CUNY.
Takeaway Resources from the Conversation:
- These resources will be available following the live conversation on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
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