In this episode, we chat with Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman, an American urban anthropologist. She studies heart centered cities, in which a care mentality comes first, and focuses on a more humanistic approach to the building of cities.
Previously, Johnston-Zimmerman co-founded The Women Led Cities Initiative and was recognized by BBC as one of the top 100 inspirational women in 2019. Today, she is the founder and director of THINK.urban, an urban consultant firm that specializes in research and analysis of behavior in public space.
Johnston-Zimmerman combines rigorous research methods, evidence-based design, and humanist intent to advocate for a care mentality within the city. By utilizing the tools of anthropology, she is at the forefront of cultivating better cities for everyone by observing and documenting how people behave in space and society during their everyday life. Through her research Johnson-Zimmerman highlights the importance of rethinking the ways cities or “artificial ecosystems” can be designed to better care for our mental and physical needs.
Johnston-Zimmerman is currently based in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. She firmly believes in her city’s potential to center people, places, and possibilities.
