In her TEDx talk, Kady Yellow dives into the concept of bringing a city to life and transforming it into a vibrant, thriving community for all. She discusses the importance of focusing on the needs and desires of the people who live in the city, rather than just the physical infrastructure. By engaging with the community and listening to their ideas and concerns, she explains how cities can be transformed into places that are not only functional but also inspiring and dynamic.
Yellow emphasizes the power of collaboration and creativity in urban planning, highlighting successful projects that have revitalized neighborhoods and brought people together. She shares practical tips and strategies for individuals and organizations to get involved in the process of city-building and create positive change in their own communities.
Overall, Yellow’s talk is an inspiring call to action for everyone to take ownership of their cities and work towards making them more vibrant, inclusive, and lively places to live.
Watch the video by TEDxTalks
Author Video Description
Post-COVID Downtowns have been gutted nationwide. It is not that they are not dead, but how we think of them is. Creative Placemaking expert Kady Yellow believes that remaking and renewing our city centers requires social architecture, not only building up with brick and mortar but building up our people. Yellow unleashes the power of the public imagination through her award-winning open-call process that centralizes the resident as the expert city builder and transforms entrepreneurs through her process into more educated urbanists. By highlighting and embracing the everyday citizen as catalysts for positive change, we can enhance our cities aesthetically, bridge social divides, promote economic growth, and cultivate active public spaces.
#Placemaking #Downtown #Art #Transformation #UrbanRenewal Kady Yellow is the Vice President of Placemaking for Downtown Vision, bringing over fifteen years of experience in creative placemaking and community-building expertise from her work in New Orleans, California, Alaska, New York, and Western Europe. She holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans and two bachelor’s degrees in Mathematical Sciences and Graphic Design from Binghamton University. Yellow is known for her work in civic entrepreneurship and the night time economy and specializes in “making public space(s) more public” through partnerships around the world. She has received special training from Federal Resources for Creative Community Development, City Repair Project, and Project for Public Spaces, has taught at university and authored a book on the topic, and is a recipient of prestigious grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Planning Association. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
About TEDxTalks
TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere — celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and rules.
Video “How to bring your city to life | Kady Yellow | TEDxJacksonville” was uploaded on 03/17/2025 to Youtube Channel TEDx Talks