In honor of this day that is dedicated to all things ‘love’, check out these great books from friend and fellow city advocate Peter Kageyama. Peter’s work sheds light on the importance of people’s emotional connections to the places where they live and how those feelings spur positive economic and social changes in society.

For the Love of Cities

The mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives, yet rarely thought of in terms of a relationship. As cities begin thinking of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their citizens, and citizens begin to consider their emotional connections with their places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators—the human heart—in our toolkit of city-making.

Love Where You Live

Following the widespread success of For the Love of Cities, this book builds upon the central premise that love of place matters, with more examples from all over the world and practical steps that community leaders, both official and unofficial, might use to kick start the process in their city. This book explores how to build networks of co-creators, how to allay community fears, how to deal with naysayers and bad news, how to find your authentic identity and how little bits of funding can be instrumental in creating big changes.

Lots to learn here. Love your place people, love your place.