Prosocial spatial urbanism

Employing Prosocial Positive Change Methods to Facilitate Equity and Collaboration in Spatial Planning

Frederick Law Olmsted, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, Jane Jacobs, and Rosa Parks all used positive change methods. Politics, literature, and media are all tools for change.  

The Mount Laurel Doctrine: New Jersey’s Unfulfilled Promise of Affordable Housing

In the shadow of New Jersey’s tree lined sprawling suburbs (in the political definition) and gleaming office parks lies a paradox: a landmark legal mandate for equitable housing, celebrated as a national model, yet perpetually deferred by bureaucratic inertia and local often racist and classist resistance. The Mount Laurel

‘A Feminist Newsletter in New Jersey’—about UrbanismL. Lo Sontag

Prosocial is a positive change method rooted in evolutionary theory and complex system science. These two paradigms serve as theoretical foundations for nearly any subject, including positive change. The concept of positive change itself is not new.  

In the 20th century, cultural and personal change diverged from evolutionary theory, shifting from a posteriori (evidence-based) reasoning to a priori (assumption-driven) thinking. This shift turned change efforts into thought exercises weighed down by confirmation bias. Fields such as economics, urban planning, history, ethnic studies, and political science must communicate with one another to drive meaningful change. They should also embrace a posteriori thinking, relying on data and evidence rather than assumptions. Evolution applies beyond science—it is relevant anywhere variation, selection, and replication exist, including urban planning.  

Prosocial is the first practical change method firmly grounded in our best current understanding of complex systems and evolution. It is both philosophical—allowing space for deeper contemplation—and practical, equipping planners, economists, and activists with tools to build better communities, neighborhoods, and cities.  

As Aristotle said, "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." A complex system consists of many interconnected components. Examples include Earth's climate, the human brain, transportation networks, social and economic organizations (such as cities), ecosystems, and ultimately, the universe itself.  

A Feminist founder— Lo Sontag

Who am I? I am Lark Lo Sontag, but I go by Lo. Lo originates from my Chinese great-grandfather. Because people continue to erase it, drop it, ignore it, with a “You don’t look Chinese,” I have made it my first name. I’m a part of the African

‘A Feminist Newsletter in New Jersey’—about UrbanismL. Lo Sontag

Amartya Sen argues that problems which involve large systems need to be looked at as a complex system and judged by the repercussions of the social architecture and then the "wisdom of crowds" both local and global shed light on the greatest injustices which should then be dealt with.

Prosocial Spatial Urbanism's goals are to create better regions and better communities, through better planning by meeting the needs of all.

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