Your view on the urban investment of today may depend on where you crop the storyline.

Set expectations you know you can meet or exceed with each step. For a bike lane, benefits like safety, increased fairness, and recreation and lifestyle are realistic.

Writing about successful neighborhood planning, my friend and colleague Howard Blackson used the term “placeshaker” as a catch-all for the grass roots engagement efforts that empower, but don’t necessarily define, placemaking. That got me thinking...