You work with cities, so you know. Cars (and trucks, and SUVs) are a serious problem. From pedestrian fatalities to unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions, our primary mode of transportation in the US continues to cause challenges we face day-in and day-out. For some of us, a challenge is also how to get away from these dangerous vehicles. The more we learn, the more we become hyper-aware of our impact. Yet breaking habits and stepping outside of our comfort zone can be so hard to do. Today, we're exploring some steps you can take to be part of the solution! If you can't live car-free, try taking some of these actions to better support your community and be a better driver (when you are one.)

Eliminate Small Trips

Did you know that car trips under 1 mile add up to about 10 billion miles of driving each year in the US? That's huge, and we can do better. If you often find yourself driving small trips under 2 miles, re-think your routine.

• Even if you're not an avid bike rider, a 2-mile ride is incredibly easy. Dig that old bike out of your garage, borrow one from a friend, or hit up your local bike share to go for a 2-mile ride on a day off from work. You'll see how quick it goes by, and realize how capable you really are!
• Once you've gotten in the swing of a 2-mile ride, make a mental note of grocery stores, convenience stores, favorite restaurants, post offices, and other places you often go for errands that are within 2 miles of your house or work. When you visit by car, make it a point to identify the closest bike rack. Next time you need to visit that location, challenge yourself to go by bike or walk (if you've got a few extra minutes) instead of driving!

Get Yourself Excited about Transit

In dense cities, transit can often be faster than driving. On a day when you have some extra time, download the Transit app to see your options and try taking lightrail, a train, or a bus to your destination instead of your own vehicle.  Once you get in a routine, challenge yourself to take transit one day each week, then two, and so on until it becomes a regular part of your routine!

Once you find your transit flow, enjoy the ride! Make a great playlist that gets you hyped for work, download recent episodes from your favorite podcasts, make a list of books you've dreamed of reading and work your way through them one-by-one, etc. Riding transit instead of driving doesn't just help the environment, you'll find that it also gives you back valuable time you would have otherwise spent sitting in traffic.

Reduce Elsewhere

If you simply can't avoid driving much of the time, make yourself accountable to reduce your impact in other ways.

• Cut down your meat consumption (or eliminate it from your diet altogether.) The agriculture industry is one of the largest sources of pollution worldwide, and it's the single-largest cause of wildlife extinction. Some say that "without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75%."
• Follow the classic trio: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in that order!) Reduce your consumption as much as possible. Try to avoid buying material goods you don't need, and driving places you don't need to drive. Reuse things you already have, or repair things that are broken rather than replacing them whenever possible. Recycle as a last resort! Although recycling is helpful, the energy used to recycle is often harmful in itself.
• Reduce your use of single-use plastics. Bring glass containers for leftovers, carry an extra reusable bag with you (they always come in handy!) and even pick up a biodegradable toothbrush.

Drive Smaller, and Drive Safely

When you must drive, consider the nature of your vehicle. Trucks and SUVs are more popular than ever, leading to a substantial increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities and fatal crashes involving smaller vehicles. Not long ago, scientists in Montreal studied over 3 million crashes and found that those driving an SUV instead of a sedan were 224% more likely to cause a fatal crash. Driving a big car makes you less likely to see smaller vehicles and pedestrians, and more likely to cause serious harm on impact. If you have an option, choose to drive a smaller vehicle as a part of keeping your community safe. If driving a larger vehicle, make it a point to eliminate distractions, always avoid using your phone while driving, and remain aware of your impact on the livelihood of others if acting irresponsibly.

Give Back

If you've got money to give and you'd like to offset a bit of your impact as a driver, consider giving it to an organization that champions alternative modes of transportation or fights for pedestrian and child safety in our cities. If you don't have financial resources, you can still make a difference! Follow these organizations on social media, like their posts, and share/re-post their posts in your feed! These small (and free) actions go a long way to helping their message reach more supporters, and raise awareness about an important issue.

Conferences can be grueling! Two or more days of networking, showcasing your work (which feels like selling a part of you if you’re self employed), sitting in potentially uncomfortable chairs, and hoping the conference can accommodate your dietary restrictions… can feel like a lot.

It’s only the first week of September, and I have attended seven conferences in 2019 with three more + the fall Ticco retreat on my calendar! As a regular conference attendee and frequent speaker, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to being conference ready.

1. Pack clothes you feel confident in.
There is a big difference between wearing something that you look nice in and something you feel confident in! Every conference has a different vibe, which can impact what type of attire you should pack (casual vs business). If this is your first time attending a specific conference, ask the internet to help you pack (use the conference hashtag on Twitter, ask in a professional group on Facebook, DM someone on Ticco)! You may learn that the conference venue runs cold or that people bring multiple outfits and change depending on the event. Once you have narrowed down the type of vibe you are going for, look through your closet and determine what you feel most confident in. If you feel better in a jean jacket instead of a blazer, rock it! Confidence is also tied to comfort. Pack shoes that you can walk around in. No, seriously - conferences inevitably lead to a lot of walking as you explore the city with new/ old friends.

2. It’s 2019, dietary restrictions are real.
People are becoming more in tune with their allergens or are selecting diets that they ethically align with. Nothing is worse than going to a conference and not knowing if you’ll be able to eat the lunch that is included or the appetizers at the evening event… you get the idea. If the conference registration does not ask about dietary restrictions, you should email the conference point of contact on the website and clearly explain your dietary restrictions. Most event planners will accommodate your restrictions, but just to be safe research local dining options and have back-up plans ready to go.

Organizer Tip: If you are an event organizer, please consider having all food labeled (ex: contains nuts) and having ingredient sheets readily available for caterers and/or staff to refer to if asked about food. 

3. Schedule “me time” throughout the conference.
Maybe this is waking up and stretching before the day starts, budgeting an hour alone before the evening networking mixer to watch some mindless tv, or skipping a session to visit the local letterpress, whatever it is make sure to take some time for yourself. Chances are you are not a 24*7 energizer extrovert robot (or are you…), so be okay with recharging. If you are feeling drained it will come across in your interactions.

4. Are you presenting?
Sick of the awkward silence that occurs before the presentation starts? I have started adopting the practice of playing music before I present. Instead of sitting as people trickle into the room, I have upbeat music playing to make the room feel a bit more casual and relaxed.*

While you present, stand with your legs shoulder width apart, speak into the microphone, and don't feel tied to the podium (unless you like the podium). This is your presentation and your opportunity to represent your work however you see fit. You worked hard to be standing there. Be proud of your work and showcase it well through visuals, limited text, and a confident stance/good verbal communication.

*If you use this suggestion, please tell me what songs are on your playlist! A few of mine are: 

• Brenton Wood “The Oogum Boogum Song”
• Chromatics “I’m On Fire”
• Talking Heads “This Must Be The Place” 

5. It may seem like a no brainer, but do not forget your business cards!
Have plenty of business cards that clearly communicate how to stay in touch. I’d also encourage you to take some time to make sure your website and your social media is also up to date. Have you posted a new blog post recently? Is your bio and resume looking the way you want? People are most likely to look you up during or after a conference, so let’s make sure you are looking your best self on the internet in addition to in person.

What else can make your conference experience less stressful?

• Bring an external battery. It is not always convenient to charge your phone at the conference venue and you do not want your phone dying while you are exploring.
• Reusable water bottle. Hydrate! Treat yourself like a plant and give yourself water and sunshine throughout the conference.
• Reusable thermos. It’s a heck of a lot easier to refill your thermos with tea or coffee throughout the week than searching for and throwing away those disposable cups.

You went to the conference and you made a lot of connections, great! What’s next?!?! Budget time the week after the conference to email your new friends, connect with them on the proper social media channels, and add them to your newsletter. Relationships should extend beyond a conference. Let’s make sure you are building meaningful connections through thoughtful follow-up.

Looking for more conference tips? Check out my blog post on Buying Down Conference Costs.

Sarah Marsom is a Heritage Resource Consultant based in Columbus, Ohio. Beyond her consulting work, Sarah is the creator of the Tiny Activist project, and sews Jane Jacobs dolls which contribute proceeds to scholarships for emerging professionals. Additionally, Sarah is a founding member of the Rust Belt Coalition of Young Preservationists. She is currently a Ticco Ambassador and Advisor for Ticco's upcoming "Place Shapers - Detroit" Retreat!

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” Jane Jacobs

We desperately need change agents at the local level. Here, Democracy means for the people, by the people. Who is better suited to be part of the process than yourself? I find there are many who blame others for the government’s shortcomings, but don’t look inward to see what they can do to change the situation. To help you find a path forward, I put together a step-by-step guide to becoming an active member of your community!

If you’re interested in getting involved, there’s never been a better time. City staff and elected officials need a hand - they know that they need new perspectives, and they want to hear from a diverse set of stakeholders. As a local resident-turned-change agent, you can offer sweat equity and insight that enables your city to do more with less.

Here are 6 steps that you can take to participate, and help your city or community make much-needed incremental change:

1. Start by talking to your neighbors

As a society, it seems we’ve lost the art of conversation. Connecting with your neighbors while they’re on their front porch, walking the dog, or watering their plants can make a real difference! Share your love and knowledge of city building, and ask them what they would like to see change at the local level. Face-to-face conversations may not be as easy as a comment thread online, but they certainly tend to skew sharper towards civility.

2. Share the good stuff

Once you’ve gotten the lay of the land, begin establishing yourself as a voice within your community. Leverage your online network to repost and share positive news and happenings that excite you, and encourage your peers to do the same! Make an effort to stay informed by following social media accounts maintained by your local government, Chamber of Commerce, and community organizations. When appropriate, post supportive comments, and help to stop the spread of misinformation on topics within your wheelhouse when others unknowingly or knowingly share it. Just be careful not to start online arguments or be overly-negative about public initiatives on social media, as this kind of behavior can cause local actors to be dismissive of your ability to do good work and play nicely with others.

3. Know what’s happening in your City

Get informed! Make an effort to understand your city’s past, and where it’s headed into the future. As you learn more, you'll be able to tell the difference between community champions, uncaptured resident audiences, and the CAVE men (Citizens Against Virtually Everything)! Do your best to keep tabs on your municipal budget, upcoming infrastructure and development projects, community challenges, and your region’s vulnerable natural landscapes that could use an advocate. Beyond following along online, you can do this by regularly walking or biking throughout your community.

4. Understand the public process

Get the full local government experience! Attend a City Council meeting (virtually and in-person.) Find and review the minutes or agenda from a recent Planning, Zoning, or Landmark Commission meeting to get a sense of their process. As you attend meetings in-person, make an effort to introduce yourself to city staff and commissioners afterwards. If you’re worried about going alone, bring a friend!

5. Build relationships

Once you’re informed on the goings-on of your community and the perspective of local players, begin building relationships with stakeholders.

• Make an appearance on community clean-up days or volunteer at a local festival
• Ask a local organization that hosts a big annual event if they need volunteers or have space on the planning committee
• Thank public employees for their service and tell commissioners often that you appreciate the work they do!
• Make an effort to shop locally and befriend small business owners so they know that you’re a source of support.

6. Make it official

After it’s clear to the community that you’re invested, take your passion to the next level by getting involved in an official capacity. There are so many paths you can take, starting with one of these:

• Seek a role on a local commission, board, or task force. Many local governments list openings, and you can simply submit your name online or send an email to the listed address to indicate your interest in serving!
• Join the board of a community organization. If there’s a nonprofit you admire serving your region, contact them directly to see if they are seeking new board members. Nonprofit organizations are always in need of those with government relationships, finance experience, legal backgrounds, and a good grasp on technology. If you’ve got one of these, you could be a shoe-in!

In closing, I’ll leave you with a handful of quotes I think of to find motivation in my civic work:

“I may be only one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference.”

- Vadena Grace, Age 10, Bowling Green, KY

“The more a man knows, the more willing he is to learn. The less a man knows, the more positive he is that he knows everything.”

- Robert G. Ingersoll

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

- Coretta Scott King

Sarah O'Brien is a Change Agent for Collaborative Development Collective. She is a cross sector community leader who calls herself an expert generalist. She is known for building consensus and practices nonstop collaboration. She has a strong track record of enhancing the people, places, and organizations she serves. After almost 15 years in various local government and NGO positions in the public sector, Sarah committed herself to affecting greater change from the outside. Collaborative Development Collective, her LLC launched this Spring and provides a variety of tourism, engagement, placemaking, storytelling, commercial district revitalization, local government, and community development consulting and interim staffing services achieved through collective impact.

Working from home comes with an adjustment period. You have the ability to set your own schedule, create a work space (or not), and enjoy the joys of no coworkers (sorry Mark, but I can only chat college football so many times). Here are a few tips I’ve found since transitioning from being a nonprofit employee in a lively workspace to working for myself in my 1920s bungalow.

• One of the perks to working from home is the ability to flexible with your schedule. You can go to gym in the middle of the day or take an impulsive day off. While I encourage you to take advantage of this flexibility, I also suggest creating some semblance of a work routine. This could be only checking your emails M-F or always taking Sunday off of work. Maintaining a routine will encourage a healthy work/life balance and help you not feel like you are working 24/7.
• Create a workspace conducive to the work you are accomplishing. Whether you need to invest in a desk that can fit multiple monitors or a space that can be flexible with each project you do, you need to figure out what type of work space will maximize your productivity. Figure out what you need to be successful! I prefer to work in natural light at a large table that enables me to spread out documents or set up a work flow for sewing Tiny Janes. Some days I work on the couch (but I know those work days will move at a slower pace.)

• Just because you "work from home" doesn't mean you have to work at home! Find WiFi without breaking the bank by spending time at your local library. Many offer rooms of all sizes that can be reserved with a library card. Whether you're looking for a private space to help you focus, new resources (librarians can help you search for grants, find business books, and more!), or an excuse to get out of the house - your local library can be a great destination.

• Try to preplan your meals! While it is nice to have the ability to rummage through your cabinets and create a meal from scratch, it can also interrupt your work flow. Plan your lunches in advance to ensure something that can be quickly made or pre-made.

• Many people I know are worried that working from home will make them not look professional. Trust me, nobody is googling your address when they mail you a check and nobody minds meetings at a coffee shop. Heck, the person you are meeting is probably excited to have left their office!

• Talking to other people is a great way to get new ideas and build connections. This is a bit tougher when you are working from home, but that's part of the reason why communities like Ticco can be such an asset! Ticco's platform allows you to connect with your peers around the country. If you can't make it to one of their in-person events, consider finding a fellow professional near you through the platform and inviting them to meet over coffee or attend a mixer for a local professionals group!

The most important tip is to have fun and experiment with how you work from home! You are not going to know immediately what you need for success, so try working in different rooms or on different days of the week.

Sarah Marsom is a Heritage Resource Consultant based in Columbus, Ohio. Beyond her consulting work, Sarah is the creator of the Tiny Activist project, and sews Jane Jacobs dolls which contribute proceeds to scholarships for emerging professionals. Additionally, Sarah is a founding member of the Rust Belt Coalition of Young Preservationists. She is currently a Ticco Ambassador and Advisor for Ticco's upcoming "Place Shapers - Detroit" Retreat!

Marketing has become key to businesses in every industry. The rise of social media allows companies to reach new audiences and clients. Although marketing doesn’t immediately come to mind when we think of architecture, it plays a large role in developing reputability and generating work for a firm.

Whether you’re part of a large firm, or just starting your own, here are the 7 actions you can bet your in-house marketing guru should be on top of!

What the Marketing Team does for Architecture Firms

An Online Presence
The AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) industry is generally business-to-business, which means social media doesn’t work for us the way it does for business that sell directly to consumers. Even though we’re a special case, it does still play an important role. A strong online presence builds rapport with clients when you post about the work you do for them, and can help in recruiting talent. Posting about your workplace culture gives job-seekers a glimpse into what their future could hold! When it comes to the firm’s website, the marketing team maintains content, pages, and project updates to ensure that it clearly conveys the firm’s story.

PR
While PR (Public Relations) and Marketing are quite different, they go hand-in-hand. PR is the practice of managing awareness and perception of your firm. It is not paid media (which is essentially advertising.) Through PR efforts, someone at your firm might be interviewed by or write a piece for a trade publication, you may receive an award, or a leader may be asked to speak at a conference. All of these generate publicity in a somewhat-organic fashion. However, PR doesn’t just ‘happen.’ PR agents work with marketing teams to develop press releases along with portfolio samples and submit those to publications for their consideration. PR is also about managing public perception. If not done well, it can have serious consequences for a firm’s reputation, and therefore its ability to attract clients.

Photoshoots
When we wrap up projects, the marketing team is responsible for getting those photo ops! We coordinate with the client, the project team, our photographer, and models (if necessary) to set up a photoshoot. We ask the project team what story they want to tell about their experience on the job, and then we look to get shots that tell the story. Occasionally this requires staging (and those models I mentioned!) to get the right look. To be sure we can get everything in a tight time frame, we sometimes plan photoshoots months in advance. Once we have high-quality photos of our finished work, we make sure to highlight them on the firm’s website, in proposals, in award submissions, and through our PR efforts.

A post-completion photo of RDC-S111 offices in Long Beach, CA

Award Nominations
Every firm wants to be “award-winning,” right? Well, to make that a reality we have to submit for consideration! Design award juries don’t just pick random projects – marketing teams and PR agents actively submit their work and clients to award committees for a chance to be recognized. There are project awards based on category, size and location, as well as awards for the firm itself. The marketing team is responsible for writing project submissions and gathering images to accompany them as we submit ourselves and our work for consideration.

RFPs
RFPs (Requests for Proposals) are one of the more direct ways that marketing teams bring in clients and revenue for a firm. Potential clients issue an RFP that outlines what kinds of services they need and what they’re looking for from a firm. Once we see that RFP, it’s on us to respond and showcase our best work in hopes of being selected. Marketing professionals create and send out a branded document that outlines the background of the firm, highlights relevant projects, and showcases the staff who will work with the client if the project is awarded to them. Producing this response to the RFP requires our marketing team to communicate and coordinate with other staff within the firm to ensure that the submission is accurate.

Brand Standards
The best brands are easily recognizable because of rigid enforcement of their brand standards. By using consistent logos, fonts, colors, and language in online content, office design, and media coverage, a firm can communicate its culture and core values to prospective clients and talent. Marketing professionals within firms use guidelines to create content that aligns within the firm’s brand standards. While a designer either works on-contract or in-house to create these standards and the accompanying guidelines, the marketing team is responsible for enforcing them.

A Familiar Face
Marketing professionals within architecture firms attend events and serve as the ‘face’ of the firm. Whether at a trade show or a project ribbon cutting, the marketing team is there (along with firm leadership) to be a presence on behalf of the firm and leverage these events to generate content for posts and build connections with potential clients.

Marketing teams do a lot within the architectural community. So if you’re in the office with a marketing team, stop by for a minute to say ‘thanks’ for the work they’re doing! And if your firm doesn’t have one yet, now is a great time to explore making an addition. Marketing professionals work behind-the-scenes, but their impact is clear. Invest in a marketing team, whether in-house or with an agency, and you’ll see results!

Kriselle Mendoza is a Marketing Coordinator for RDC-S111, Inc. In her role, she works in a collaborative environment servicing RDC, a firm providing architectural services for large and small companies including Whole Foods, Equinox, and Wal-Mart. In addition, Kriselle carries out marketing for the firm’s partner studio, Studio One Eleven, which works throughout the Los Angeles Region to provide Urban Design, architectural, planning, and landscape architecture work as part of projects which contribute to the well-being of local communities.

Since we opened Ticco two months ago, we've cultivated a community of professionals around the country who are working to improve their cities and communities. While we've been laying a foundation for this community, we've also been hard at work building out more features - messaging and notifications!

On July 22nd, messaging and notifications will roll out to all Ticco members. Here's a bit of what you need to know:

For Messaging

• All members will have access to messaging beginning on the 22nd
• Members will have the ability to message other members in a 1-on-1 setting
• In messages, members will be able to share text and links
• A message bubble at the bottom right of the screen will allow members to see the number of unread messages (if applicable) when logged in to Ticco

For Notifications

• Members will gain access to easy-to-use notifications. With this approach, a bell icon will appear at the top of the screen when logged in to Ticco which displays the number of unread notifications
• When a member clicks a notification, it will take them to the exact location of the item at-hand. For instance, if a member comments on your response in a Discussions, the notification will take you to the thread where that comment is located
• If you have unread messages or notifications, you'll receive a once daily summary of these unread items. If you have no unread messages or notifications, you will not receive an email

Important Notice

As we roll out messaging, we'd like to remind everyone about our community guidelines. These guidelines lay some groundwork for what is and is not appropriate to message to another user. Please keep these guidelines in mind as you begin to direct message fellow Ticco members.

Coming Later!

In addition to these exciting updates, we are continuing to build additional features! Down the line, expect to see emojis, GIFs, and group messaging! In addition, we will soon offer customized notification preferences so you may choose if and how you are notified about unread messages and notifications.

If you're excited about messaging and love using Ticco, please tell a friend! You can find your unique referral code under 'Account' within your account settings. For every friend or colleague who joins using this code, you'll receive a $5 credit on your account. Note that we recently changed our process to join Ticco, and new members can now create their account in just 5 minutes on our website!