Ali Butcher

Our vision is to be a catalyst for positive change, opening minds with inspiring ideas.

x= independently organized TED event

Donate

What is TEDx? In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxJacksonville, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxJacksonville event, TED Talks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED. | web design by Christopher RInehart

Ali Butcher | Re-Imagining Urban Space

Ali Butcher challenges us to pursue a new urban fabric for Jacksonville: one where public art is enshrined in our development policies; where transportation planners reevaluate the primacy of the car; where innovative, sustainable design and a sense of connection are prized; and where we reconnect our minds and bodies into the landscapes that inspire and sustain us. Ali Butcher knows the built forms of our cities expose something about our values and priorities. In his talk, Redefining Urban Space: Creativity and Sustainability in the City, Butcher first examines the shared historical narratives of Jacksonville and Vancouver, BC, and then charts where the cities’ values and growth patterns have diverged.

Alasdair (‘Ali’) Butcher is a geographer, historian, and city enthusiast from Vancouver, Canada. After graduating from the Geography Department at the University of British Columbia, he took his passion for urban topics to the streets, founding Vancity Detours and guiding people through the lesser-known neighborhoods and histories of the city.

In 2011 he joined with Tour Guys Vancouver, a collective of story tellers, history nerds, and pop-culture buffs who revel in exposing locals and visitors alike to Vancouver’s unique brand of urbanism. He is particularly interested in how the changing physical form of the city reveals the changing values and priorities of its inhabitants.

In his spare time he enjoys hiking mountains, eating off-cuts, and fostering a psychotic-whippet Chihuahua.

WATCH Wise River

Ali Butcher | Re-Imagining Urban Space

Ali Butcher

WATCH Wise River

TALKS

WATCH Tracy Alloway, Ph.D. | Facebook Fearless: How Social Media Can Be Good For You