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Better: Rethinking Our Social, Civic, and Economic Systems
In a world where social, civic, and economic systems often fail to meet the profound human needs for connection, purpose, and community, it is imperative to reimagine these frameworks. Better delves into the urgent necessity of transforming these systems to create resilient, inclusive, and thriving communities. Nick Smoot's journey, beginning in 2013, uncovered the underlying causes of social and economic destabilization in the United States and globally. His mission has always been to unlock human potential and create environments where people can flourish. This book embodies that mission by proposing a revolutionary approach to “humaning” that harmonizes economic goals with the unmet human needs in our cities.
How to Achieve This
Better is a practical guide for city leaders, community builders, and economic developers. It outlines a clear "how" to foster strategic gatherings that mobilize and empower entire cities. This book
- Appreciative A methodology that focuses on identifying and leveraging the strengths of individuals and communities to drive positive change.
- Startup Cities Best Insights into creating high-performing, inclusive startup ecosystems that involve everyone in the city-building process.
- Behavioral Techniques to understand and influence human behavior, ensuring that community initiatives resonate on a deeper level.
Strategic Gatherings for Whole-City
The book provides a blueprint for organizing strategic gatherings that can transform cities into vibrant, collaborative, and innovative spaces. These gatherings serve as incubators where residents set goals, share skills, celebrate progress, and develop solutions together. This approach reclaims time from passive consumption of media and redirects it towards active, community-driven initiatives that boost social, economic, and civic well-being.
Free Tools and
Nick Smoot ensures that Better is not just a visionary manifesto but a practical toolkit. The book includes free tools and software designed to help cities implement the strategies discussed, making it easier for leaders to take actionable steps toward building stronger communities.
Stories of Change and Personal
Interwoven with these practical strategies are personal stories from Nick's childhood, illustrating how his early experiences shaped his theories of change. These anecdotes offer a relatable and inspiring backdrop to the transformative ideas presented in the book.
A Proven Track
Since 2013, Nick and his team have led projects in over 15 states, collaborated with 9 universities, contributed to federal workforce legislation, and created transformative programs and tools. Better synthesizes these experiences into a comprehensive guide that merges social sciences and economics to create a new social, civic, and economic infrastructure.
A Call to Action for a Better
Nick Smoot believes this approach has the power to harmonize the strategic goals of companies and cities with the human cravings for connection and purpose. Better is a call to action for people to rethink how they plan and live their lives, for companies to design impactful HR programs, for real estate developers to innovate amenities, and for governments to approach economic development from the ground up.
How to Achieve This
Better is a practical guide for city leaders, community builders, and economic developers. It outlines a clear "how" to foster strategic gatherings that mobilize and empower entire cities. This book
- Appreciative A methodology that focuses on identifying and leveraging the strengths of individuals and communities to drive positive change.
- Startup Cities Best Insights into creating high-performing, inclusive startup ecosystems that involve everyone in the city-building process.
- Behavioral Techniques to understand and influence human behavior, ensuring that community initiatives resonate on a deeper level.
Strategic Gatherings for Whole-City
The book provides a blueprint for organizing strategic gatherings that can transform cities into vibrant, collaborative, and innovative spaces. These gatherings serve as incubators where residents set goals, share skills, celebrate progress, and develop solutions together. This approach reclaims time from passive consumption of media and redirects it towards active, community-driven initiatives that boost social, economic, and civic well-being.
Free Tools and
Nick Smoot ensures that Better is not just a visionary manifesto but a practical toolkit. The book includes free tools and software designed to help cities implement the strategies discussed, making it easier for leaders to take actionable steps toward building stronger communities.
Stories of Change and Personal
Interwoven with these practical strategies are personal stories from Nick's childhood, illustrating how his early experiences shaped his theories of change. These anecdotes offer a relatable and inspiring backdrop to the transformative ideas presented in the book.
A Proven Track
Since 2013, Nick and his team have led projects in over 15 states, collaborated with 9 universities, contributed to federal workforce legislation, and created transformative programs and tools. Better synthesizes these experiences into a comprehensive guide that merges social sciences and economics to create a new social, civic, and economic infrastructure.
A Call to Action for a Better
Nick Smoot believes this approach has the power to harmonize the strategic goals of companies and cities with the human cravings for connection and purpose. Better is a call to action for people to rethink how they plan and live their lives, for companies to design impactful HR programs, for real estate developers to innovate amenities, and for governments to approach economic development from the ground up.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2024
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