Downtown Sarasota: Beyond Our Borders - Lecture 3, Paul Kalbfleisch

Downtown Series: Beyond Our Borders - Lecture 3

Cities for Joy: Creating Urban Spaces that Promote Social Vibrancy

Paul Kalbfliesch, Co-Author of The Joy Experiments: Reimagining Mid-sized Cities to Heal Our Divided Society

6:00-7:30pm

Church of the Redeemer Episcopal, 222 S Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236

Refer to the map below for parking details

About the Series

Following up on last year’s sell-out speaker series, Downtown Sarasota: Hindsight, Insight and Foresight, Architecture Sarasota is presenting a new speaker series, Downtown Sarasota: Beyond Our Borders. Our 2024 speaker series was cited by the City of Sarasota as the catalyst for the recent decision to move forward with the preparation of a new downtown master plan. This year’s series will feature renowned urbanists based outside the United States, providing thought-provoking international perspectives on Sarasota and its prospects.

Presenters include Gil Penalosa (February 11th), Brent Toderian (February 25th) and Paul Kalbfleisch (March 11th) - each selected for his unique point of view, deep experience, and engaging presentation style. Speakers will offer comments specific to Sarasota, informed by time spent in the city in advance of their presentations. Once again, our aim is to inform, stimulate, and engage our audience, with the practical result of continuing to elevate a community-wide conversation and allowing us to take more effective steps toward a better future for Sarasota.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Paul Kalbfleisch is a multi-disciplined speaker and writer on the topic of city building, business consultant and creator of public art.

In his corporate business life, he was vice-president of creativity and brand strategy for Research in Motion (creators of BlackBerry). In that role he developed strategies for placing the brand into popular culture. Kalbfliesch’s writing explores how society, by emphasizing individual materialism and economic efficiency as the indicators of quality of life, has led to a social recession, with increased isolation and depression. He is co-author, along with Scott Higgins -President of HIP Developments, of “The JOY Experiments – Reimagining Mid-Sized Cities as a Tool to Heal Our Divided Society.”

Through his consulting he helps city builders set a new play, live, work city building priority that elevates the collective human spirit for social and economic prosperity. His work focuses on new strategies that move beyond traditional quality of life measures to prioritizing the benefits of infrastructure for the human spirit found in joyful cities.

His was a presenter at the UN Habitat World Urban Forum and speaker at a TEDx Talk. His strategic and creative guidance were instrumental in the creation of The Gaslight District in Cambridge, Ontario, and placed 3rd in a global “15 Minute City” design competition.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Feature Photo #1: Photo Courtesy of Paul Kalbfliesch

Feature Photos #2 & #3: Courtesy of Architecture Sarasota