Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This year’s Word On The Street was more jammed than an ’80s basement party. Book signings are one of my favourite parts of these events. I ask each book buyer to tell me something about themselves or public joy. I learn so much plus it turns the usual autograph dynamic into an authentic exchange. 041
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Toronto Foundation has moved and I’m pleased that we’ll be collaborating on the first engagement (invite only) in their new space. I’m especially excited to announce that the evening will also mark the launch of the Public Joy Fund. 141
Reposted by Jay PitterHoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 26/09/2026They warned us Mamdani would impose Sharia law. Instead, he unleashed the real threat: line dancing in Bryant Park. 1372302976626
Reposted by Jay PitterThe Cottage Garden @simonecannon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I'm harvesting the last of my summer #garden salad greens, including these Garden nasturtiums, which typically #flower from midsummer right through to the first autumn frosts. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible and add a peppery bite to salads #BloomScrolling #KitchenGarden #FlowersOnFriday 281231169
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Transforming a parking lot into housing where 51 people can experience collective flourishing is top-tier public joy and a powerful public space precedent. #PublicJoyFramework Source: Andrew Boozary MD 041
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026From housing to parks to road maintenance, Mayor Mamdani is delivering a master class on impactful and transparent governance that goes beyond values-based messaging. He leverages qualitative, place-based storytelling (alongside actual numbers) to demonstrate daily impact. Exceptional leadership. 091
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Yesterday, during an IG Live with my Jacksonville collaborator Kady, I shared my gratitude for 100-person cohort engaging with the Public Joy Framework in James Weldon Johnson Park — the city’s first park. Implementation at this scale will enable deeper documentation and evaluation of the framework. 001
Reposted by Jay PitterSkog @skog100.bsky.social · 22/09/2026The sunflowers i grew from seed this year are finally flowering ..the ones that came up from birdseed flowered much earlier so i didn't think these would make it ..but they have 🌻 391516145
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Long day. Longer game. Also, I’ve read a few comments across platforms re: bright eyeshadow not being “professional.” Odd ‘cause I’m a boss. 150
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026One of the biggest issues with urbanism and most of its leaders is the prevalence of single-issue advocacy. Whether it’s housing, bike lanes, or public transit, there’s a need for intersectional thinking. Cities are composed of complex social, spatial & systemic networks; they aren’t silos. So…🧵 140
Reposted by Jay PitterCorey Atad @coreyatad.com · 22/09/2026“If you are staring at an example of social disorder or social inefficiency, and the left refuses to explain either why it has happened or how they will fix it, then the right gets to point at someone in the immediate area and say, ‘That’s who did it.’” crazy how much Mamdani speaks my language 5951571221
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026The first Public Joy Residency is launching in Jacksonville. My Public Joy Framework will be the foundation for PlacemakingJax’s Public Space Lab, and I’ll guide a 100-person cohort as they apply it at James Weldon Johnson Park. Excited to spend time in the city translating my framework to practice. 040
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Here’s my first Weekly Public Joy Highlight — a series celebrating the people, places, & practices that illuminate public joy. ✨ This week I’m celebrating my friend Prasanna Ranganathan, a lawyer & advocate for more accessible public spaces and public life, bringing incredible swagger to the runway. 071
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026I just completed the draft of my upcoming Mindful article, “Belonging Begins in the Body.” In the piece, I explore three concepts that support dignified belonging. Excerpt: Lingering is a gentle yet radical act of asserting one’s presence and right to truly be in public. Article to follow. 0110
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026May seem boring but public bathrooms are an important component of public joy infrastructure. 1928
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026If we’re going to talk about the #WARonWALKING (great framing), policy deserves way more attention: histories of anti-vagrancy laws; sundown-town ordinances; redlining & racialized zoning; loitering laws; exclusionary public-space bylaws; and curfews are powerful invisible weapons. 1499
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026If we’re going to talk about the #WARonWALKING (great framing), social conditions deserve way more attention: inadequate street-level social supports; race-based police profiling; gender-based street harassment; social hostility & polarization; and lack of belonging & healthy spatial entitlement. 04813
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Okay, so if we’re talking about the #WaronWalking (great framing), the sidewalk deserves way more attention. A lack of connective sidewalk infrastructure, tree canopies, seating, public restrooms, lighting, pedestrian oriented wayfinding, and street-level retail & cultural hubs are major factors. 0324
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Healthy Spatial Entitlement Reflection: Recall the first time you were corrected as a child for occupying space “inappropriately.” How does that shape how you occupy space today? This week, where might you shrink yourself—and how can you prepare to occupy that space in a more healthy manner? 031
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Of all the concepts I’ve developed, Healthy Spatial Entitlement is the one I’m most proud of. Taking up space isn’t inherently positive—there are healthy & unhealthy ways of occupying space. Understanding this nuance is vital for the repair of civic life across physical, digital & imaginative space. 1145
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Safety is not only freedom from physical harm or harassment. It also has psychological, cultural & historical dimensions. Historical safety means inhabiting a place without its histories of exclusion, displacement or harm being ignored or reproduced. Safety enables us to express & access public joy. 052
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Comparing putting a pedestrian crossing outside a residential care home to offering driving lessons outside a pub is alarming, particularly from someone with “inclusion” in their bio. It reflects underlying ageism and a lack of thinking re: mobility equity, systems & accessibility precedents. 🧵 4121
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Celebrating my Greg as he begins his 24th year of teaching. When he’s not busy being my part-time wingman, supporting me and my practice, he’s busy being one of the very best elementary school teachers out there. 190
Reposted by Jay Pitteralexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 07/09/2026#Denmark built so much wind that some blustery hours the turbines out-produce what the whole country is using. When that happens, the extra power doesn’t sit idle. It moves through Denmark’s links into the wider European network and heads to neighbors like Germany, Norway, Sweden. #ActOnClimate 371147024387
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Just as “no white after Labour Day” is antiquated, so is the idea that #publicjoy ends with summer. Find a tree-filled walking route & watch the leaves turn. Get an art gallery membership. Scan your local library’s special events. Wear vibrant sweaters. Schedule walks with friends. Stay outside. 0185
Reposted by Jay PitterMusicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 06/09/2026The Gloria Steinem foundation posted today, "Gloria was a proud New Yorker since the 1960s. Whenever she was asked why she didn’t drive, she’d reply: 'Because adventure starts the moment I leave my door.'” i feel that so hard 159974
Reposted by Jay PitterUrban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 02/09/2026No matter what they claim, the REAL “war” that’s been going on in our cities has been a WAR ON WALKING. And it’s been going on for a century. #UrbanTruth 8461164
Reposted by Jay PitterAmy @amiable-sloth.bsky.social · 02/09/2026This is a great book and a great question. I definitely share the prohibitions against sitting on the floor in public, behaving uncouth, and sharing family business. I was expected to be "ladylike". 021
Reposted by Jay PitterJay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Asking people what public space rules they were raised with is a foundational question for understanding each other and the spaces we navigate together. 151
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026At every reading of Black Public Joy, I share my mother’s public space rules I was raised with growing up in public housing. Then I invite the audience to share the public space rules they were raised with.What has been striking is how many people of all identities relate. 160
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Word on the Street is one of my favourite Toronto festivals. Excited to be participating in this year’s “The Cities We Live In” conversation on the Neighbourhood Stage. We’ll be exploring housing, belonging and the future of public space. If you’re in T.O., please save the date. 043
Reposted by Jay PitterRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Target paid its CEO $21.8M last year — 794x the median Target worker's pay of $27,506. Target has also spent $13.9B on stock buybacks since 2019, while remaining among the largest employers of Medicaid and SNAP recipients in America. This is what I mean by a rigged economy. 421106864035
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 30/08/2026JUNO Award-winning electronic producer and DJ BAMBII dropped “Level Up” yesterday, and it’s already appearing on numerous Spotify New Music Friday playlists worldwide including: France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland and Egypt. She also landed #19 right here in Canada. Great job, baby girl. ❤️ 040
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Sharing this Jamaican fish soup with my Chinese Canadian neighbour who turns 60 today. Wild salmon & snapper instead of the traditional fish head, with pumpkin, Scotch bonnet peppers, yam, sweet potato, green banana, okra and dumplings. All ingredients from local Caribbean & Portuguese biz owners. 2120
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026The cross-partisan solidarity Canada is demonstrating in response to Trump is being overpraised. I understand the threat. I’d like to see that same level of solidarity around housing, safe streets, active transportation, healthcare and protecting public assets. Praising basic behaviour… 1121
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026The patio is the hardest-working small-scale urban infrastructure type. For its relatively small footprint, a patio does the following: ~ Acts as a real time Yelp review, allowing people to assess the vibe & quality of an establishment before committing. ~ Legitimizes and facilitates lingering. 🧵 1135
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026When we talk about accessibility of public amenities, we often focus on physical access. Social, economic and temporal accessibility are important too. Keeping public amenities open beyond conventional hours creates more public joy possibilities for shift workers & others who don’t live 9-5 lives. 1172
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026A woman from Vibrant Communities whom I’d never met gave me this beautiful ceramic tonight after an event hosted by BAND. I talk a lot about becoming better co-stewards of each other’s public joy. Tonight, she was a co-steward of mine. What a kind thing to do. #PublicJoy 000
Reposted by Jay PitterMayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 24/08/2026Proud to announce that New York City has registered a record 4,200 New Yorkers in our doula care program. Pregnancy and childbirth are life-changing moments. No one should be forced to navigate them alone.nyc.govMayor Mamdani Expands Access to Doula Care Across NYC as Citywide Initiative Surpasses 4,000 People Served 166142162369
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 24/08/2026The second pillar of my Public Joy Framework is Cultural Infrastructure. Public joy transmits cultural memory and intergenerational joy, circulates through cultural practices, builds resilience beyond histories of harm, and creates possibilities for the shared co-creation of culture. 150
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Urbanism Upside-Down: Cultural celebration noise is bad. Traffic noise is good. Comfortable public seating is bad. Hostile seating is good. Affordable housing is bad. Housing crisis is good. Children walking to school is bad. Cars in school zones are good. 🧵 1183
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 22/08/2026“Far from perfectly designed parks and plazas, and on street corners without the charm of hipster twinkly lights, we have known that joy emanated from within us. The block party, the slow bicycle ride, and that subway dance that went viral was what it was. Because we were there.” 170
Reposted by Jay PitterMrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 20/08/2026The Navy may change the name of a warship to honor a brave black man who served honorably in the Pearl Harbor attack to the name of a cowardly draft dodger who is so ignorant he didn’t even know what happened at Pearl Harbor, according to his then Chief of Staff accompanying him on the visit 1569105634399
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 21/08/2026“Bodies are places, assumed sovereign states with fleshy constitutions made vulnerable by political projections. They are naked landscapes of blood, breached borders, and fractured memory.” ~ Black Public Joy, (Penguin Random House 2026), Jay Pitter 051
Reposted by Jay PitterMayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 19/08/2026Parents, what would you do with four hours of child-free time? We launched a Parents’ Night Out program with NYC Parks to give NYC parents a little time back for themselves, because we’re committed to making it easier to raise a family in the greatest city in the world. 23489721779
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Yesterday, I was walking along a beautifully designed street, admiring small-scale public art, mid-rise buildings, mature trees & a lil plaza nook. But none of it could compete with the cars blazing by. When roadways become super busy thoroughfares for cars, the pedestrian experience is destroyed. 1222
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026This is one of the laziest, least ambitious parkettes I’ve ever encountered. It exemplifies the limitations of public infrastructure that doesn’t prioritize a sense of place or public joy. Here are five small interventions, informed by my Public Joy Framework, that could have made a difference. 🧵 1110
Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Someone smashed out the back window of our car & stole our beach gear. There’s something deeply violating about that. But I’m grateful they left behind the thing that meant the most to me, a bag of about 30 books collected over decades, carefully curated and packed for my daughter. 2111