A popular speaker, veteran communications strategist and award-winning writer and editor, Jay Walljasper chronicles stories from around the world that point us toward a better and more enjoyable future.
He covers a wide variety of topics, with particular specialties in community and urban issues, travel, sustainability, cultural commentary, and the commons.
On this site, you will find fresh insight from Jay’s latest articles and columns as well as information about his speaking and writing.
Walljasper is the author of The Great Neighborhood Book (2007) and Visionaries: People and Ideas to Change Your Life (2001). His new book, What We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons appears in July 2010.
His experience includes being editorial director and editor of Utne Reader, executive editor of Ode magazine, and a travel editor at Better Homes & Gardens. Utne Reader was nominated for the National Magazine Award for general excellence three times during his years as editor. He was also editor for the National Geographic Society's Montreal Geotourist Map Guide.
Jay's articles have been published in National Geographic Traveler, AARP Bulletin, The New Statesman (UK), San Francisco Chonicle, Planning, Chicago Tribune, The Nation, Midwest Living, Preservation, Huffington Post, Common Dreams, Toronto Star, WorldChanging, Australian Financial Review, Mother Jones, Notre Dame Magazine, L. A. Weekly, Chicago Magazine, Yes! Magazine, Landscape Architecture, Rock & Rap Confidential, New Woman (Australia), Courrier (Paris), Sunday Independent (South Africa), Business Craft (Singapore), Resurgence (UK) and other publications.
He has been quoted on contemporary issues in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and NPR.
Jay has been a speaker at the UNESCO International Conference on Creative Tourism; the Chicago Architectural Foundation; the Great Places Conference sponsored by the state of Iowa; The Tom McCall Society Lecture in Portland; the "What's the Economy For" conference in Washington, D.C.; the Meredith Lecture on Communications at Drake University; the Smart Growth Summit in the Louisville area; the Trinity Cathedral Lecture Series in Cleveland; and the Mayor's Symposium on Sustainability in Winnipeg.
Strategic communication is another of his skills, and he has been deeply involved in developing publicity, media and publishing efforts for On The Commons, Project for Public Spaces and other organizations. He wrote the annual report for Friends of the Mississippi River, a leading citizens group in Minnesota, and a Rockefeller Foundation-funded report about Coalition for Livable Future in Portland.
Click here to contact Jay Walljasper
Fellow, Editor
On The Commons .org
Senior Fellow
Project For Public Spaces
Contributing Editor
National Geographic Traveler
Editor At Large
Ode Magazine
Jay Walljasper has given us nothing less than a manual for how to rebuild community, one practical step at a time, and in the process recover much of the joy of day-to-day life. What a gift!"
— Bill McKibben,
best selling author
Coming: Jay's New Book
What We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons (July 2010)
The Great Neighborhood Book
Click here for more info & to order.