Downtowns exist in tension.

Public and private. Civic and commercial. Open and managed. They are places where strangers negotiate coexistence in real time — and where questions around trust, authority, belonging, and safety become deeply visible.

In this episode, Chip sits down with Shane Zahn, Director of Community Safety for the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District, for a thoughtful conversation about public safety, civic stewardship, and the evolving role of downtown organizations in one of the most scrutinized public environments in the country.

Together, they explore the complicated space between public and private responsibility, how trust in institutions has shifted in recent years, and what it means to steward public space in communities where safety is experienced differently by different people.

This conversation touches on:

• the evolving role of Business Improvement Districts

• legitimacy and accountability in public space

• safety as both operational and emotional infrastructure

• Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd and Operation Metro Surge

• the challenge of rebuilding trust in complex civic systems

More than a conversation about policing or enforcement, this episode asks a broader question:

How do we steward public spaces people can trust?

Episode Links

Mpls Downtown Improvement District

Minnesota Justice Research Center

Block by Block

Downtown Community Storage

Drone First Responder

Axon Body Cam

IKE Smart City

Civicity

Stay Connected Occasional notes and ideas from Big Creative: sidewalkballet.com

To Celebrate Jane Jacob's Birthday, Sidewalk Ballet is launching a new series of bonus episodes that we are calling Small Blocks. Short stories about people and places that you can listen to when you just have a few minutes.

Our first Small Block comes from Susan Hughes, a Children's book writer from Toronto and her story about, well, Jane.

Susan Hughes

Kids Can Press

Valerie Boivin Illustration

Janes Walk

Jane’s Walk SF

Support The Sidewalk Ballet If this work resonates, you can support the show: buymeacoffee.com/sidewalkballet

Stay Connected Occasional notes and ideas from Big Creative: sidewalkballet.com

Anastasia Sukhoroslova is an urbanist focused on connecting a global community of people shaping cities. Through her platform, All Things Urban, she has built a network that brings together practitioners, thinkers, and emerging voices from around the world—creating space to share ideas, tools, and perspectives across geographies and disciplines. Her work sits at the intersection of curiosity and connection, helping to expand what urbanism looks like and who gets to participate in it.

On this episode we explore a deceptively simple question: what do we mean when we say “urbanism” today? The conversation moves between scales—from the street-level observations of Jane Jacobs to the global circulation of ideas shaping cities today. They discuss how urban ideas travel, the opportunities and risks that come with that speed, and the tension between sharing what works and understanding the context that makes it work. Along the way, they reflect on participation, authorship, and what it means to shape a place in an increasingly connected world.

Released ahead of Jane's Walk, this episode also serves as a companion to a global moment rooted in local experience. Jane’s Walks take place in cities around the world—guided by the same spirit of curiosity and observation that defined Jacobs’ work—yet no two walks are the same. Each is shaped by the people who show up and the place they move through, offering a living example of how shared ideas are expressed locally.

At its core, this episode reflects on the relationship between global thinking and local practice. Ideas about cities may travel further and faster than ever before, but they never arrive unchanged. The work of urbanism—like the sidewalk ballet Jacobs described—depends on paying attention, understanding context, and responding to the place in front of you. The frameworks may be shared, but the choreography always belongs to the place.

Episode Links

All Things Urban

Geospatial-hub

All Things Urban Free Newsletter Subscription

All Things Urban LinkedIn

Anastasia's LinkedIn

Local All Things Urban Chapters Application Form

Janes Walk

Jane's Walk Portland Maine

Lezlie Lowe on Sidewalk Ballet

Jane’s Walk SF

Support The Sidewalk Ballet If this work resonates, you can support the show: buymeacoffee.com/sidewalkballet

Stay Connected Occasional notes and ideas from Big Creative: sidewalkballet.com