You Are a Public Spaces Expert

Downtown development and urban core revitalization


Public spaces are all too often an underutilized asset in our communities. With personal examples from around the globe, Holth shares why average citizens can and should become more involved with their design, their use, and how their proper design changes a community.

Jonathan Holth is an active community builder from Grand Forks, ND. He currently serves on nine different local nonprofit boards and committees, ranging from entrepreneurship advocacy to the public library to domestic violence prevention to a local bike share coalition. He has a passion for challenging communities to dream big and upset the norm.

Most recently, he has worked as a consultant helping to develop unique practices and principles in the areas of downtown development and urban core revitalization in a number of cities throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. Holth believes in the power of well-designed public spaces, and believes that citizens need to have more say in how they’re designed. Holth is co-founder and co-owner of The Toasted Frog restaurants, with three locations in North Dakota, including Grand Forks, where he lives with his wife and three daughters.