13 Awesome gifts for city lovers this season!
It’s that time of the year!! We’re bringing you our FIFTH annual edition of our ultimate gift guide for all the planners, builders, data geeks, and city-lovers in your life. We even thought of some items for the young aspiring citymakers out there! The State of Place team has compiled their favorite items on the market, perfect for passing the time during quarantine and daydreaming of all the adventures to come! Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day (Los Reyes Magos), Festivus or any holiday, these finds are certain to spread creativity & joy. We all wish you a joyous, happy, and safe holiday season!
Special 2020 Edition Gift Collection
City-making Themed
Face Masks
From $11.90
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I ordered my first, colorful facemask (from DIOP, a Black-owned business, that you should also totally check out!). It was a little sad that I was so excited about a face mask, but it’s 2020 and we have to find joy in all the little things! So when I saw these city-making themed face masks on Etsy, I just knew I had to feature them in our annual gift guide for placelovers and plannerds!
You can get these at two different Etsy stores:
Stylish Fellow - for the SimCity mask and the Downtown City mask and
Minnetonka Mermaid for the colorful NYC streetscapes mask
Virtual Travel & Cooking Classes!
$36 ($18 for additional screens)
If you’re a true city-lover, we know you’ve been missing travel - and all of its wonders and privileges - a LOT in 2020. But who says you can’t experience new people, places, and food virtually! The amazing folks at Traveling Spoon have curated a host of cooking classes that will have you traveling from Argentina, to India, to Italy, and heck, even to Chicago (hello, homemade deep dish!). Check them out and make your resident wanderlust the happiest they’ve been in 2020!
A Primer on How to be an
Anti-racist Citymaker
From $11.94
Many of you may have seen my open letter to non-black citymakers urging us all to listen and learn, to heed and ceed. Thankfully on the learning front, there are myriad amazing, powerful books that will help you develop the kind of radical empathy needed to ensure the centuries-long spatial injustices exacerbated by Covid are prioritized, addressed, eradicated in the post-Covid world. There were so, so many to choose from, but these are a sample of some of my favorites and some on my own wishlist that cover a wide range of anti-racist topics from multiple vantage points!
Essential Gifts for Self-care and More in 2020
Freehand Drawing and Discovery: Urban Sketching and Concept Drawing for Designers
$70
Pass the time during quarantine by getting your creative juices flowing! Filled with nearly 300 colored illustrations, this sketchbook provides professional and aspiring city makers with the skills and techniques to design the spaces of their dreams through an array of cross-disciplinary examples.
“Created by Urban Designer James Richards, Freehand Drawing & Discovery takes an updated and practical approach to using hand sketching in a digital world, employing a "both/and" philosophy that shows you how to rapidly capture ideas with hand sketching that can then be further explored and refined using digital tools.”
The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design
$22
Brought to you by Roman Mars & Kurt Kohlstedt, The 99% Invisible City showcases the artistry in our built environment and allows readers to explore the anatomy of their favorite urban spaces.
“The 99% Invisible City brings into view the fascinating but often unnoticed worlds we walk and drive through every day, and to read it is to feel newly alive and aware of your place in the world. This book made me laugh, and it made me cry, and it reminded me to always read the plaque.” — John Green, NYT bestselling author
Chuck Wolfe’s Latest & Greatest
$65
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the brilliant Chuck Wolfe early this year (or was it last year - 2020 has made me completely lose sense of time!) for his new book, Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character. I think this book takes on new - more powerful meaning - in a post-Covid world. But don’t take my word for it, take a look at the countless awesome reviews of this book! You’ll have to wait a bit for it to actually arrive - it’s only available pre-order - but I guess good things come to those who wait!
“In this third book, Chuck Wolfe is at his best as raconteur of city life, places, and people. Drawing from a large swath of urban history and crisscrossing the 'pond' (and beyond) with gusto, Wolfe entices the reader with numerous lively examples of places that have kept culture and character over long periods of time. He and Tigran Haas offer useful ways for the reader to test and practice the book's central idea of sustaining a city's culture and character. Coming out during the Covid-19 pandemic, the book will bring hope and joy, reminding us how vibrant our cities have been and surely will be again. The text is further enriched with remarkable photos by the author and selected artist depictions of urban places.”
-- Anne Vernez Moudon, Dr es Sc, professor emerita of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Urban Form Lab
“Wolfe and Haas ask one of the biggest questions of our time: What is place? What is culture? In a post-covid world, places will be driven by local experience, authenticity and, importantly, identity. This book is an important guide for anyone designing human-centered places.”
-- Lucinda Hartley, cofounder, Neighbourlytics, Melbourne, Australia
If you’re able to indulge in a splurge…
Skyline Chess
$225.00
Explore the Big Apple from the comfort of your dining room table with this awesome chess set. Mimicking the aesthetic of the city with its monochrome color scheme, the board and pieces make for the perfect addition to your home decor collection. Each piece is elegantly crafted to highlight the architectural details of New York’s most iconic buildings. For those across the pond, there’s a London edition as well!
For the Quirky Citymakers in Your Life (although that might be redundant!)
Housing Tarot Cards
$35.99
Thanks so much to the amazing Esther Greenhouse for calling these gems out on LinkedIn! As soon as I saw this, I just knew it had to make our gift guide! So get this, it’s a set of Tarot Cards that lets you explore and find meaning in the housing in your community. It comes with a How-To guide for those of us who are newbies on the “occult!” But seriously, I’m sure this would make for a super interesting community engagement exercise! Check them out.
Blueprint Bowtie!
From $44
I love this super cute bow tie, perfect for any playful city-maker! It’s understated yet so obviously nerdy. It’s perfect! You can get this gem on Etsy in a variety of colors!
For the Young…or Young at Heart!
City Maps: A coloring book for adults
$11
Coloring isn’t just for kids you guys!! Spend time getting in some cartographic practice with this adult coloring book featuring 44 maps of cities around the world. Whether you need a gift for a little one or you’re looking for a stress-relieving activity for a friend, City Maps is the perfect pastime for manifesting your future travels.
The Ultimate Citymaking Shero- Jane Jacobs!
$18
How cute is this “Shero” poster of citymaking icon, Jane Jacobs? It’s perfect for your budding planner - but let’s face it, awesome for us who are only young at heart! ;) Best thing is they have a ton more awesome Shero posters, from the likes of Michelle Obama to Jane Goodall to RGB!
Kids' Travel Journal
$13
Get your young ones excited to explore the world with this awesome travel journal. With 96 pages of writing & drawing space, activities, and creative templates, this journal is certain to keep them busy, engaged, and appreciative of all the amazing places they get to experience with you! Bonus feature: once it’s filled, it serves as a memory book for them to look back through as they grow older!
4D Cityscape Puzzle
$40
Pick from over 30 metropolitan areas around the globe to construct a 4D replica puzzle of their iconic skylines. Not only is it a great way to spend time with family and friends, but the Cityscape Puzzle also serves as a history lesson as it guides your construction in historically chronological order. You’ll get to see your city come to life progressing the same way as it was actually built!