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June 2025: vibrant cities

Each month, we break down our topic into four weekly modules. Catch up on previous editions here.​

This week's module: REFLECT

• ✅ CONNECT | Conversation prompts for climate action that work for everyone
• ✅ LEARN | Urban design, solarpunk cities, and streets for humans
• ✅ ACT | What you can do towards cities of the future
• 🎯 REFLECT | Remapping & commitments

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Here's what we'll learn today Reader

This week is a WIN for people power!

Whether or not you live in the United States, you know that things here are hecked up, and because all our countries are interconnected, it means everything is getting worse for everyone.

But today things are getting BETTER! At least in New York, where Zohran Mamdani showed us this week that community organizing works. He's standing up for Palestinian human rights, he's piloted free bus routes, and he's pulled off a stunning upset against an uncourageous and stodgy establishment.

Although Soapbox as a 501(c)(3) doesn't endorse candidates, we love to learn lessons wherever we can. Zohran Mamdani's win teaches us that anything is possible when we rally together for change. Oh, and that vibes matter.

NYC's mayoral race gives us the perfect news to wrap up our June topic on vibrant cities!

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Your bite-sized action plan Reader

✅ REFLECT by looking up a historical map of your city + making a new one

I've been thinking a lot about San Francisco, the city I used to live in before I moved to Seattle.

The question ping-ponging around in my head was... how cool would it be if the mountains had train tracks instead of traffic-full roads for cars?

Imagine my devastation, then, when I found out... THIS USED TO BE A THING.

There used to be The Crookedest Railroad in the World on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge! And then there was a fire, and but they rebuilt the tracks anyway...but it died a silent death and got replaced by asphalt for automobiles.

They even had these super cool things called gravity cars!!

It's been SO bizarre to see that my dreams for the future have already been created in the past.

That's why, for our REFLECT module that wraps up our June theme of vibrant cities, I want you to do two things:

1. Dream up the future you'd like to see for your city, with the help of a present-day map. You can decide where to put things like parks, bike lanes, and whatever else you want (temples? roller coasters? ginormous ballroom?)
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2. Look up a map from 100 years ago. Were any of those things^ already there? Where is there precedent that you can carry forward?

Here are a few resources for you:

• ​https://pastmaps.com/​
• ​https://www.oldmapsonline.org/​
• You can also just search "old maps" + [name of city]

Bonus points if you make a brand-new map of your own with visions of the future rooted in the past!

✨ The great thing about this activity is you can do this anywhere. You can even do this in a conversation with a stranger.

You: I wish our city had a trolley that connected the north and the south end! Stranger: actually, in 1970...

My wish for you to round out this month is that you do something tangible to make your city better: more joyful, more healthy, or more resilient.

Humans have changed their landscapes for as long as we've been alive, and it's time for us to do it with the right outcomes in mind.

Love,
Nivi

Upcoming Soapbox events

• Every Tuesday in Seattle, we have our usual dinner party, with a new twist! We added community bike rides to our events! Check out our Seattle calendar here.​
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• NYC dinner announced soon! Here's the NYC calendar.​

​Our entire events calendar for ALL locations + virtual can be found here.