Introducing Protopia

A new newsletter from The Happy Urbanist

I officially left full-time work at the beginning of April to pursue my passion for being an armchair urbanist and empowering people to improve their community.

My city of Chattanooga has experienced significant positive change thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated individuals, and I aim to assist others in replicating the success we've achieved, however modest it may be.

The purpose of this newsletter is to be an incredibly easy digest of ideas and practical applications for making a better public realm.

The Format:

Taking Inspiration from James clear, this newsletter will be painfully minimalistic in order to encourage easy digestion and readability. It will include a 3-1-1 format: 3 short ideas from me, 1 quote with a corresponding source worth digging into, and one practical action you can take to help shape or change your city.

The Name:

Protopia refers back to a concept by Kevin Kelly that he discussed in both his books and his TED Talk. The idea boils down to this: both utopian and dystopian beliefs of the future are equally unhelpful because they encourage inaction.

Utopia paints an idealized society free from conflict, but its pursuit risks authoritarianism and ignores the complexities of human behavior, while dystopia warns of oppressive futures yet may instill fear and hinder progress.

Kelly offers "protopia," advocating for incremental progress and adaptation, where uncertainty is embraced and continuous improvement is valued over rigid perfection.

Starting next week, I'll be sending these out every Thursday.

Talk soon,

Jon Jon

Ps. If you don’t already, Instagram here, and TikTok here.