Let’s hold fast to a clear and ambitious vision of what should be, while moving toward it through small, deliberate steps; adjusting course as we go; learning from failure; and refusing to give up on the possibility of better cities. I call my personal planning theory “Adaptive Idealism.”

I spent the past week in Manila with a copy of Women Changing Cities in my bag—and a head full of optimism.

I’ve shared my top learnings (and photos) from Manila in this photo-essay.

Progress in city-building has often come from people willing to imagine something radically different from the status quo.

Planning has never been a profession for those who simply accept cities as they are.

Inspired by a BBC Sideways podcast episode on why mega-projects so often run over budget and over time, I reflect on “optimism bias” — our tendency to imagine the smooth path rather than the muddy detour.