Citymakers is a series featuring people who do great things for cities - whether it is through their love of art, music, photography, public space, nature or any form of creative expression or city issue. They don’t get a lot of recognition for what they do. And, they often do it in their spare time, for free or little money, off the side of their desk, mostly while working full-time, 9-5 jobs. But, that is not an issue to them. They pursue their art or passion because they love and care about what they are doing.
I've been reading the Atlantic Cities since it launched a few years ago and I was always interested in the stories of one particular writer, Emily Badger. Emily is a writer in the Washington, D.C., area, where she covers urban planning and affairs for The Atlantic Cities. She has written a number of articles on the impact of gentrification, segregation and nature in cities (all topics that I love to cover on This City Life).
Emily grew up in and loves Chicago. She has also lived for various stretches in Portland, Cleveland, Orlando, Tallahassee, Paris, Norfolk and Atlanta. So far, she has been sitting still in the D.C. area for three full years – "a personal adult record" – while working on a Master's degree.
I wanted to feature her in my Citymakers series because she is a great writer on topics that will have a significant impact on the future of cities.
Who are you ?
I'm a staff writer for The Atlantic Cities, where I write about a lot of wide-ranging topics that each touch in some way on cities and urban life. Some days I write about affordable housing and racial segregation. Other days I write about how climate change could impact cities, or how open data is changing the relationship between residents and City Hall. I also love to write about maps, parking, and people (like myself) who rent their homes instead of owning them. It's a pretty great job.
What motivates you to get involved in city life?
I grew up in Chicago (always telling people, "yes, the actual city, not the suburbs"). And I think that's a great place to learn to love cities. Chicago has amazing architecture, and really interesting urban history (both good chapters and bad) and some wildly different and fascinating neighborhoods. When I was a kid, my mother also worked for the city as the parking commissioner. As a result, we somehow had a parking meter in our apartment.
Why Washington, DC?
In a word: jobs. My husband is a defense contractor, and when we moved to town I was primarily writing about public policy. Washington is pretty much the best and only place to do either of these things. But we also love that the city is so close to an amazing national park, Shenandoah. It's often hard to find a major city so close to such beautiful nature.
Washington would be better if____(fill in the blanks)
Washington would be better if it were more affordable. Housing costs here are pretty ridiculous, and I often wonder how all of these summer interns and non-profit employees get by paying $1,500 a month to sleep in someone's basement.
Favourite public space?
The courtyard inside the National Portrait Gallery is great, as are the gardens outside the U.S. Botanic Gardens off the Mall.
Must have city souvenir?
Edible souvenirs are my favorite. So I go for deep-dish pizza in Chicago, maybe a half-smoke in Washington.
Favourite local hangout?
The Mount Vernon Trail bike path along the Potomac. That may not quite be a "hangout," but I spend a lot of time there, and it's a great place to experience a sense of Washington with the monuments across the river, the rowers on the Potomac, and airplanes landing right overhead at DCA.
Local inspiration (person, place or thing)?
The Saturday morning farmer's market in Old Town, Alexandria.
Worst thing about your city?
The summer heat. It's awful. And so humid. And lasts forever.
Favourite city memory?
I have a lot of great memories of going to White Sox games as a kid in Chicago with my family. When I was young, I could not imagine how anyone could live in a city without a baseball team (let alone two of them to pick from).
Citymakers is a column to profile people who positively contribute to the city (socially, artistically, environmentally, etc.). Who else should be profiled here?
