Jeff Siegler

Urbanist, Author & Civic Champion

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About This Speaker

Jeff Siegler is an urbanist, author, and nationally recognized speaker who helps communities rebuild their civic pride and bring neglected places back to life. As the founder of Revitalize or Die, he works with cities across the country to diagnose the real causes of decline and guide local leaders toward action. Jeff is known for mixing humor, candor, and clear-eyed analysis to show audiences what’s holding their towns back and how they can turn things around.

His book, Your City Is Sick, has become a favorite among planners, officials, and community champions who want honest insight instead of feel-good platitudes. Jeff’s message is built on a simple idea: place shapes behavior. If you want healthier people, stronger economies, and communities that care again, you have to fix the environment they live in. He teaches audiences how to raise standards, build ownership, strengthen social health, and restore identity in ways that are practical and doable.

Jeff’s keynotes are part wake-up call, part storytelling session, and part roadmap for change. He’s spoken to state associations, Main Street programs, mayors, universities, chambers, and economic development groups of every size. His style resonates because he doesn’t sugarcoat the problems, he doesn’t waste time, and he doesn’t offer silver bullets. Instead, he gives people the clarity and confidence to take real action in their own communities.

Whether he’s consulting with a rural town or addressing a packed conference hall, Jeff Siegler brings energy, expertise, and a deep belief that every place can improve. His work helps people see their community differently and inspires them to care enough to fix it.

Videos

Speaking Topics: Jeff Siegler

Civic Pride and Civic Apathy

Communities across the country have been devastated by apathy, and unless we take drastic action, the problem will continue to worsen. Apathy destroys everything it touches, and it can’t be fixed by planning or money alone. The lack of care and concern among residents won’t change if we stay on the same path. We need a fresh approach to restore people’s connection to their town. Only by fostering a sense of civic pride can we combat apathy. This means bringing people together, restoring beauty, fostering affection, and giving meaning to people’s relationship with their community. A small-scale, simple, and incremental approach can help replace apathy with pride. The key is to start working—there is no silver bullet, and no one is coming to fix it for us. Every resident, every day, must do their part to make the community just a little bit better. When everyone participates, we can create something truly special: a community we can all be proud of.

The Power of Place

When we think of placemaking, we often picture beautifying our favorite public spaces, but the concept of “place” is much more profound. Place is everywhere and influences everything we do. It’s one of the biggest determinants of the type of life we lead, constantly shaping our experiences. The design, function, and feel of our surroundings dictate how we live, interact, and connect with others. Places can make us proud or leave us ashamed; they can foster connection or isolation. The environments we create impact our physical, mental, social, and economic health. Understanding the power of place helps us see how vital it is to improve our surroundings. This session will explore why place matters and how transforming our environments can transform our communities.

A Recipe for Place

This keynote delves into the relationship between food and place, showing how agriculture shaped our earliest settlements and how we refined both placemaking and food production over generations. In the 20th century, the rush for speed and efficiency disrupted these foundations, harming both health and the environment. Through the lessons of the food renaissance, we can learn how to restore balance and vitality to our cities. By looking at food, we’ll discover new ways to guide the revitalization of our communities, ensuring they support well-being, connection, and sustainability.

Setting the Stage for Civic Success

Setting the Stage for Civic Success explores how the built environment shapes our emotions, behaviors, and collective well-being—not by accident, but through an evidence-based approach to placemaking. Drawing on research and lived experience, this talk reveals how cities that design for joy, creativity, and connection perform better socially, economically, and emotionally. It’s not just an art—it’s a science. And it’s time we start building like it.