Why I’ve started writing handwritten letters: a slower mode of connection, a leisurely moment in my day, and a digital detox remedy—a break from constant eye strain and typing fatigue.

The office has come a long way over the years, and it doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon. From storefronts to cubicles to startup foosball wonderlands, offices have seen it all – and the next evolution is already upon us.

Your emotional environment is shaped by many things: your physical space, the people you interact with, the culture of your industry, the content you consume, and more. So, how do you design an emotional environment that gets you the outcomes you’re looking for?

This is the first post in a series that looks at Boston’s District Hall innovation center and evaluates what could be done differently to make the model work better. In Part 1, I break down the design decisions that we made that didn't pan out for operations. I explain the negative impacts of these choices, and share what should be done differently to avoid those issues on other innovation centers in the future.

Pop-ups have become an increasingly popular way for brands, artists and entrepreneurs to test new products and markets. But as the trend has been embraced by big corporations, it's lost the originality, creativity and orientation toward community that made it so special.

In a productivity-obsessed culture, it can feel like we're always falling behind. We “hustle:” to try and catch up, working longer hours and taking on more projects. But is this relentless focus on productivity sustainable? The answer is no. In fact, it's harmful. Maybe doing less is actually the best way to get more done.

Urbanism isn't really about place, or size, or tactic - it's about choice: the choice to live together. And that choice has ramifications for everything from how we share resources, to how we dispose of waste, to how we agree to communicate with each other.