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Trigaux: 'Love Where You Live' author likes what he sees in Tampa Bay

 
SP_337359_DIEZ_Trigaux_1 of 2 (04/18/2011)     Peter Kageyama, local entrepreneur and "creative class" proponent, chose to be photographed in the beautiful tree just to the right (southern end) of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Kageyama has written a book called For The Love of Cities. It says cities benefit greatly when they can get more residents to love them and help make them better. He explains how to make that happen. Kageyama's been an activist in this area for Tampa Bay for years.  [CHERIE DIEZ, Times]
SP_337359_DIEZ_Trigaux_1 of 2 (04/18/2011) Peter Kageyama, local entrepreneur and "creative class" proponent, chose to be photographed in the beautiful tree just to the right (southern end) of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Kageyama has written a book called For The Love of Cities. It says cities benefit greatly when they can get more residents to love them and help make them better. He explains how to make that happen. Kageyama's been an activist in this area for Tampa Bay for years. [CHERIE DIEZ, Times]
Published Jan. 27, 2015

Four years ago, Peter Kageyama introduced us to the powerful concept that cities need a growing core of people who show great passion and involvement in their metro area.

That theme was the basis for For the Love of Cities — Kageyama's 2011 book that launched the St. Petersburg resident as a community development consultant visiting cities across the globe. His message: There's great value in strengthening emotional connections between a city and its residents, often through small acts of civic love.

This month, Kageyama unveiled his followup book, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places, a guidebook for those looking to express love of their city in more practical terms.

When the first book was published near the peak of a deep recession, Kageyama's upbeat pitch for small, grass roots and inexpensive acts of love for cities resonated widely with residents.

The new book catches both the economic upswing and the growing push for downtown revitalization, lending more opportunities for people to express their passion for where they live. Regionally, Kageyama's optimistic message is familiar to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and former St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. And Kageyama hopes to have a chance to meet with St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman.

Then there is Jeff Vinik, who's busy communicating his massive redevelopment vision for Tampa's downtown surrounding Amalie Arena and nearby waterfront. Vinik says he was so struck by a book called Walkable City that he bought copies for his entire senior staff to read. A plug from that book's author, Jeff Speck, happens to appear on the back cover of Kageyama's Love Where You Live.

When Kageyama speaks in other cities, he says people identify easily with his idea of engagement. Kageyama's even toying with a brand name for himself: The City Love Guy.

Kageyama praises the recent Birds on Beach project — bronze birds scattered along Beach Drive to help tell downtown St. Pete's history — by high school student Molly Doyle and sculptor Donna Gordon. The foodie buzz over Locale Market in the new Sundial shopping area reflects another expression of love.

Not all is rosy. Kageyama calls St. Pete's shuttered Pier complex a "self-inflicted wound" and "hole" in an otherwise successful downtown.

But that's an exception, he says. "Part of my jobs is to be relentlessly positive about cities. How can I be anything less about my own city?"

Kageyama's ideas are not for the urban planner driven by spreadsheets and analytics. But they can be the perfect complement, in the end helping bring cities to life.

Contact Robert Trigaux at rtrigaux@tampabay.com. Follow @venturetampabay.