Small Cities Lab: Pattern Books, Data and Stories
What is a Small City?
As artists/facilitators/cultural organizers, we treasure long-term collaborations. The Small Cities Lab at Lehigh University is becoming a national hub for research on Small Cities. With a focus on “developing best practices, policy frameworks, and scalable solutions,” it is filling a gap in the research landscape of planning and urban development.
We met Lab Co-Directors Wes Hiatt and Karen Beck-Pooley through our residency with Touchstone Theater in 2022-2023. Since then, we’ve had dozens of conversations and mini-collaborations with the Lab. One collaboration in Fall 2025 was co-facilitating a 2.5-day Co-Lab at Lehigh University.
As artists, it’s dreamy to partner with researchers/academics! We’ve been able to witness the depth of learning and knowledge that emerges from the conversations our processes elicit. The result has been both qualitative and quantitative research that will inform the Lab’s work moving forward.
Hardcore facilitation.
📷: Christine T. Kreschollek
The Players.
Isabelle O’Toole is the Lab’s fearless “do-all-the-things” administrator, sometimes facilitator, community cat herder, sometimes writer, or oral historian. She is a recent Lehigh graduate and stellar addition to the mix.
📷: Christine T. Kreschollek
Kevin Lahoda is a designer and assistant professor at Lehigh. He knows how to translate complex policy ideas and data into something visually playful and interesting. Below participants are enjoying a beautifully designed worksheet!
Opposite of stuffy
📷: Christine T. Kreschollek
The Planning.
sparks and the SCL team spent 4 months planning, regularly discussing how to engage 75 people in something that needed to be the opposite of a stuffy symposium. The result was 2.5 days of small conversations, time travel, and skill swaps among stakeholders invested in the success of small cities.
In Spring 2026, Isabelle and the team produced a series of pattern books that synthesized the learning. They invited additional collaborators and case studies to contribute. Some of those writers were at the Co-Lab, while others were new additions. We provided feedback on a few of the booklets and supported the Lab in its monthly webinar series to share the learnings. Mark-n-Sparks wrote articles for two of the pattern books.
Each booklet contains juicy questions, interesting data, and case studies. Check them out.
The Learning.
"What is a small city anyway?"
"What is a small city anyway?"
Co-Lab Booklet: Introduction
Simply eliminating single family zoning isn’t magically leading to more density or housing. What will?
Simply eliminating single family zoning isn’t magically leading to more density or housing. What will?
- Ellie Abrons and Rachel Hobbs
Co-Lab Booklet: Housing
sparks has an article, “Dear Abby” about characters for The Pasture.
From a community development lens, how can we restore and reimagine our relationships to our rivers and coasts?
From a community development lens, how can we restore and reimagine our relationships to our rivers and coasts?
Co-Lab Booklet: Waterfronts
“No Whiteboards, No Post-Its: Design Engagement in Nature” was a favorite of ours by Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson from arc-ade.org.
"Who is included?"
"Who is included?"
Co-Lab Booklet: Social and Cultural
Marionette Dancer (Mock Turtle Productions)How can anchor institutions partner more effectively and equitably in small city governance?
How can anchor institutions partner more effectively and equitably in small city governance?
Co-Lab Booklet: Meds and Eds
Mark has an article, "How can we weave the social fabric before we need it?"
📷: Christine T. Kreschollek