Award-Winning Placemaker. Author. Speaker. Urban Planning Adjunct Professor. Subdivided Co-Editor. Two Book Deal w/ Penguin Random House Canada.

Toronto, Ontario
Joined November 2012
Check out my 10 Rules For Better Public Spaces 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾 This is not intended to be an exhaustive list; I didn’t include public space healing, which is a significant part of my practice. But I’ve captured several key ideas. Thoughts? Additional ideas? #cities #public #space
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Smiling because we just signed with a literary agent! And not just any agent —but THEE literary agent Marie Brown—iykyk—if you don’t well—read up on her—publishers hit us up. AND… 🎉tomorrow (8/26) we reopen Harriett’s for a new season from 12-6 pm. 📚and we are a part of a citywide Bookstore Crawl @phillybookcrawl thanks to @ericsmithrocks. 🎶tomorrow (8/26) we will host a live jazz trio from 1-2:30 (@starlenebey). She knows the assignment bring a lil oui oui to the yurp. 🪗and a French 🇫🇷 accordion ensemble from 3-4 pm (@shinjoocho)—come ready to dance 💃. 🍾along with French 🇫🇷 inspired drinks from @noseypalate from 12-3 pm. 🥐Philly style French pastries first come first serve @jaimefrenchbakery. 📖 and BOOKS! Lots of freaking BOOKS! By now you should be smiling too. 📸 P.S. word on the street is there’s a new magazine launching on 9/16 from @lovenowmedia and we are on the cover. Stay tuned for that fabulosity —cause they asked for literary Naomi Campbell and uhhh we gave it the best we had.
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My daughter and I have both been on tour, so I haven’t seen her for an entire season. She was in Toronto this evening doing a brand shoot before heading to Vancouver to perform tomorrow. I popped in to give her a hug, and got to be her personal assistant for a few hours.💕
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A big congratulations to Armi DeFrancia on her well-deserved CIP Emerging Planner Award. For a decade, I’ve had the delightful experience of mentoring Armi & was happy to nominate her. Watching Armi build her career & develop a powerful cycling advocacy voice has been incredible.
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Jay Pitter retweeted
Night 2 + Day 3 of the Church Street pedestrianization and it’s still going strong! Putting on my @Jay_Pitter hat on and documenting lots of examples of public joy! Here’s a thread of my observations so far: (1/5)
It’s surreal seeing it come full circle. The people stuck in the crowded Church Street sidewalk are now free to roam the streets! (At least during the 2 month pedestrianization pilot) Streets are for the people!
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Good density is not just about more housing units. It’s about more public joy: local amenities connections across race & class community rituals active & public transportation intergenerational exchange mutual care networks #PublicJoyFramework publication coming soon
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During the first leg of my book tour, I fell out of my fitness routine. This week, I'm back in rhythm, which meant walking home from the gym despite today's sudden downpour. Along the way, I noticed a lot of cyclists. They def give new meaning to the phrase "rain or shine."
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Jay Pitter retweeted
Cardi B reacts to the NY Knicks winning their first championship since 1973.😭 “WE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! GET MY MAKEUP DONE RIGHT NOW”
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Public joy happens when we deprioritize the flow of traffic and prioritize the flow of bodies: walking rolling cycling hiking swimming running vogueing strutting strolling skateboarding twerking frolicking
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Wise woman once told me, “Trees grow in silence. Just grow.” New location at 921 Market Street is now open.
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Headed out to bring a little public joy to tonight's Toronto Star panel.
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I have a couple of complimentary tickets available for Toronto Star’s If I Were Mayor: Culture Edition, taking place tomorrow evening at Soulpepper Theatre. If you’re in Toronto and would like to attend, send me a DM. Hope to see a few familiar faces there.
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Honor the folks who sing your praises when you’re not even in the room (or the country). So thankful to our poet laureate Raina Leon for including us in this @pbsbooks series. 📖🙏🏾
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Back from another amazing book tour week. #BlackPublicJoy
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Jay Pitter retweeted
BREAKING: We now know the municipal/provincial and federal lobbyists behind the Billy Bishop airport expansion in Toronto is Nieuport Aviation, an asset among many, controlled by the IIG which was founded by JP Morgan. Yes, an AMERICAN bank is trying to destroy our waterfront. – at Toronto, Ontario
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9th grader Demi Johnson wins National Geographic award for her plan to restore Mississippi’s oyster reefs. She already produced 1,100 oysters that will spawn millions of larvae, delivering a major boost to the ecosystem.
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Some sort of issue between bylaw and the food market near Yonge and Dundas has resulted in all the shops’ signage being removed. Landlord is dealing with City, but consider supporting the vendors as it gets resolved—foot traffic will suffer.
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Belonging begins in the body. — Black Public Joy Penguin Random House, 2026
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Jay Pitter retweeted
‘No fear’
“I tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.” — Nina Simone
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