Curated Book: The Way Out

ACT Rochester Advisory Committee member Sharon Stiller attended a presentation by Columbia professor of psychology and education Dr. Peter T Coleman and recommended his book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.

Instead of pitching the book, let me provide some quotes to whet your appetite:

“We don’t process new information neutrally, instead we are motivated to make sense of it in ways that are consistent with our existing worldview…” (pg. 30)

“After a sufficient reset, the next order of business is to locate what is already working. This practice is based on research findings that change-resistant problems are often most responsive to positive deviance or bright spots, existing remedies that have already arisen and proven useful and sustainable within the context of the problem.” (pg. 77)

“when feedback on the result of our actions come in it is time to pay more attention, not less; to make more decisions, not fewer. It involves starting wisely, making corrections in midcourse, and learning from our mistakes.” (pg. 203)

ACT Rochester followers should find these quotes familiar and while the topic for Dr. Coleman is the political polarization, the points made in the book are very applicable to our community’s struggles with social change.

The good thing to know is that the way of thinking that ACT Rochester has been promoting - the scientific method, embracing complexity, continuous improvement - are based in science! Peter Coleman’s The Way Out is a great resource as we continue toward social transformation.

Source: Coleman, P. T. (2021). The way out: How to overcome toxic polarization. Columbia University Press.

Science Podcasts

Are you a podcast listener? Do you spend time in the car that could use some stimulating brain food? There are so many podcasts available now, you are sure to find something you like.

Brain Food has covered a few podcast episodes, including one with Bill Gates that highlights advanced problem-solving. The whole episode is great, and the post is worth a read!

In case you’re looking for science-related podcasts (fun!), Podcast Review posted an article on The 11 Best Science Podcasts. In the review, staff writer and assistant editor Alice Florence Orr says:

“By emphasizing methodology, a good science podcast not only asks interesting questions; it also explains how and why we arrived at an answer.”

Does that sound like something ACT Rochester would support, or what?! Consider a science podcast for some extra brain food!

2024 Fringe Festival!

This week’s Brain Food is specific to the right brain - the creative side! Rochester’s 2024 Fringe Festival begins on September 10th. Visit the site - rochesterfringe.com - for information, tickets, and list of shows.

If you would like additional information, the September 3rd episode of Connections with Evan Dawson is dedicated to the Fringe Festival. Listen here!

Curated Book on Urban Design

A close friend lent me the book Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery after a lengthy policy conversation. He told me I needed to read it; he was right. You should read it, too!

Note that Happy City is not written by social scientists so the objective of the book is not to prove or disprove a hypothesis. I loved and recommend Happy City because it is an exercise in out-of-the-box thinking. It is a catalyst for innovative problem-solving. It provides case studies of cities across the world, told as stories, and patched together for a wholistic and human-centered approach to the complex challenges of urban areas. Happy City highlights the successes of Vancouver, Canada, Bogota, Colombia, Siena, Italy, and Paris, France, and it uses history and exceptional scholarship to make arguments about what makes a city great and how to improve the quality of life for all city residents.

“And what are our needs for happiness?... We need to walk, just as birds need to fly. We need to be around other people. We need beauty. We need contact with nature. And most of all, we need not to be excluded. We need to feel some sort of equality." (pg. 6)

Montgomery introduces concepts like challenged thriving (pg. 37), the relationship between happiness, economists, and urban design, unintended negative consequences of urban sprawl (beyond the damage to the environment!), and on page 111 Montgomery references a relevant psychological study at the University of Rochester. 

We spend so much time reading about the challenges of the City of Rochester and perhaps you find yourselves talking about those challenges in your networks. Consider reading Happy City to catalyze more creative thought about what urban transformation could look like.

Consider Happy City for your brain food - it's high quality nutrition for healthy thought! 

Source: Montgomery, C. (2013). Happy city: Transforming our lives through urban design. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York.

Curated Blog Post: Central New York Community Foundation

Our friends at the Central New York Community Foundation posted a blog on July 11th titled "Lending Tree Study Ranked Syracuse Second in Economic Disparity."

I know what you're thinking - where does Rochester rank? Fortunately, we did not make the bottom five. Unfortunately, we are bottom six.

I encourage you to read the CNY blog post for their insight, and to look at the lending tree study itself (linked directly here). We have more work to do!

Interview with Robert Putnam

A friend of ACT Rochester passed along this interview with Robert Putnam and the associated article from The New York Times. (Thanks, Barb!) The interview talks about Putnam’s famed book Bowling Alone, rampant loneliness, and the social circumstances of our society. Dr. Putnam is a political scientist and social capital expert.  

Dr. Putnam is no stranger to our community, as he worked with RACF on a social capital survey in the 1990s. He thinks, talks, and writes a lot about “joining” and its opposite, social isolation. This topic is particularly relevant post-COVID and has many correlations to upward mobility. 

Consider this interview and Robert Putnam’s work as our political landscape lights up preparing for November elections.

“The way we gather matters.”

Priya Parker is a bit of a celebrity for the Rochester Area Community Foundation Community Programs department. In June of 2024, Parker was a featured speaker at the University of Rochester’s Volunteers in Partnership Leadership Conference. Before that, in 2022, RACF Community Programs staff each received the book. Who can argue with more efficient meetings? 

Parker’s book The Art of Gathering is an argument for more intentional, productive gathering. You’ll notice right away that she says “gathering” and not “meetings” - a choice and key part of her philosophy. She defines gathering as “the conscious bringing together of people for a reason” (pg. ix, 2018). Parker published the book in 2018 (pre-COVID), and her points seem even more salient now.

At ACT Rochester, we are constantly having conversations about how we think about things, and how we want people to think about things. The Art of Gathering is similar in that it an argument for how to think about gathering. In the introduction, Parker says “My hope is that this book will help you think differently about your gatherings.” (pg.xiii) 

Also, Parker notes that she has a particular approach when it comes to coming together. Her approach “places people and what happens between them at the center of every coming together… [and I] strive to help people experience a sense of belonging.” (pg.xi) I would remind everyone that the sixth pillar of the RMAPI Unity Agenda is Dignity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Food for thought!

Please consider The Art of Gathering and feel free to bring it up to Community Programs staff, particularly Vice President of Community Programs Erin Budd Barry :-) You’ll make her day. 

Actually, Erin just reminded me that there is a podcast, shorter form offerings, etc. if you’re not in the mood for a full book! Check out her website: www.priyaparker.com

Source: Parker, P. (2018). The Art of Gathering: Create Transformative Meetings, Events and Experiences. Portfolio/Penguin.

Rochester Beacon ‘Community’ article

On Wednesday, July 31st, Managing Editor Smriti Jacob of Rochester Beacon posted an article about ACT Rochester, titled “ACT Rochester puts data, rigorous research at the forefront”. It provides insight into ACT Rochester strategy and vision, as well as a personal touch from our conversation. 

This is my favorite quote from the article: “I made so many decisions about where I went to undergrad and what I wanted to do based on growing up here, that I came back and I felt I had I had taken what I was given from here and tried to grow it and build on it, and now was in a position to come back and give some of it back.”

Thank you, Smriti and Rochester Beacon, for your interest in and support of ACT Rochester!

Curated Article: Promoting a Culture of Caring in Education

In the summer 2024 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, there is an article that uses many of the buzz words and phrases that our community has oft discussed lately: systems change, mental health crisis, change organization, and social connectedness. The article, found here, is a comprehensive look at efforts to improve mental health for school-age youth. 

With the 2024 Olympics in Paris coming up and athletes like Simone Biles and Michael Phelps working to reduce the stigma around mental health, there is momentum toward positive change. What can you learn? What role can you play?

Curated Report: The Children’s Agenda Rochester City Budget Highlights

Local advocacy organization The Children’s Agenda released a report highlighting the Rochester City’s Budget allocations, with a particular emphasis on how the budget affects children. 

The report calls out policy efforts in the areas of poverty, support for the public library system, youth development and mental health, and youth violence prevention. 

The report is very well-organized, providing readers a summary of budgeted items by category as well as commendations and recommendations. PLEASE READ!

Guest Post: Census Geographies

To unlock the power of the US Census (data provided every 10 years) and the American Community Survey (data provided every year), an understanding of relevant underlying geographies is crucial. Below are explanations of the nine most relevant Census geographies. 

Census Block: The smallest geography in the census, it represents a small segment of housing units in a neighborhood. Limited data is available, especially in lower density areas. 

Census Block Group: A collection of census blocks are packaged together to create a census block group. Census block groups roughly represent neighborhoods. 

Census Tract: This is the smallest unit in which population-level data from the Census is widely available. There are between 1,200 and 8,000 people in each census tract, but the optimal number per tract is 4,000.  

Zip Code Tabulation Areas: This geography contains all addresses within a postal code. Zip codes can be found in parts of the county in which census blocks, census block groups, and census tracts may not be found. Zip codes follow existing geographic barriers such as county subdivisions and counties to a lesser extent than other smaller geographies.  

County Subdivisions: This geography consists of cities, towns, townships, and villages within a specific county. These geographies are the smallest relevant self-governing geography included in the Census. The geographic boundaries of county subdivisions do not align well with other geographic boundaries such as Zip codes and census tracts. 

Place: This geography is very similar to county subdivision, but it contains unincorporated areas in some states and is divorced from county of origin.

Counties: These are a largely administrative geography with a focus on governance. Counties consist of county subdivisions and places, and typically envelop urban high-density cities. This geography varies greatly in population across the United States, but is a strong choice for evaluative geography due to the relatively low standard error in Census and ACS metrics. 

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs): This geography is based around core urban areas and encompasses all areas around this core that have a high degree of economic and social integration. MSAs are not limited by counties, places, or county subdivisions, but can cross relevant political boundaries in order to capture population interest. 

Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs): This geography builds upon the concept of MSAs to include surrounding areas with less integration but high economic reliance on major metro areas. This could include hinterlands of major metros that are only semi-urban. CSAs create a boundary to identify regions that transcend metro boundaries. 

In light of these definitions, we urge you to consider the geography of the question or problem that you have in mind. In many cases, we may need to consider establishing more localized data collection.

Written by Cameron Caputi, Director of Foundation and Community Analytics at Rochester Area Community Foundation. Cameron has a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and is a skilled data scientist focused on data processes, dashboard creation, and advanced coding.