There are plenty of people who upload old photos and dispatch fun facts on social media about the city in which they reside. Some do it because they love sharing their whereabouts, others because they enjoy piquing the interest of their peers. For some like Max Grinnell, known on Twitter as @TheUrbanologist, engaging with every facet of urban culture is more than just a hobby; it’s a way of life.

Grinnell can be best understood by taking a look at what he does on a regular basis. He’s one part writer, one part historian, one part investigator and one part public speaker. He runs his own website – you can check out The Urbanologist.com right here – where he’s constantly exploring the various aspects, cogs and gears that make cities operate in the fashion they do.

“What do I do? That’s an excellent question, and it’s equal parts street level observation, a curiosity about the built environment, policy investigation, and careful conversation with others who are passionate about cities,” Grinnell told BostInno via email. “I share my passions for these matters with the students at MassArt, BAC, and BU… On the lighter side, I’ve also been given the key to the city in Carson City, Nevada; Ashland, Kentucky; and Staunton, Virginia.”

The Urbanologist’s penchant for understanding the urban condition is one that has not gone unnoticed on Twitter. He’s constantly pumping out fascinating tidbits about the various metropolitan areas he frequents, Chicago and Boston for example, and constantly trying to gauge not only the interest of those he reaches but how the collective people shape their city – and how the city, in turn, shapes them.

In essence, he’s trying to better comprehend and convey the driving forces that make a city successful and perhaps not so much. Grinnell was gracious enough to chat with BostInno via email about those items, as they pertain to Boston, and what we can learn about the possible future of The Hub.

“Excitement comes for me in Boston from even the shortest walk down the shortest street by myself or with friends. I first came to visit the Hub in 1991 and it’s fascinated me ever since,” continues Grinnell. “Boston is a rich place for innovation and it’s a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of those people who come to Boston for any number of reasons, including education, culture, and the desire to be close to a vast range of brilliant people.”

He then directs our attention to a sliver of Boylston Street that, on the surface, may not appear like much at first. But when we consider the urban implications, the block boasts a whole new meaning.

“If you pay close attention in cities, everything is revealed to those who have patience and curiosity,” posits Grinnell. “Take the 1100 block of Boylston: there’s planning, anthropology, geography, commercial activity, institutional transformation, and much more.”

The stretch of pavement he’s referring to is just past the Hynes Convention Center T stop, just after the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Ave. It plays home to an eclectic array of business and culture, including pizza shops and cafes, books and music stores, a vintage record shop and a tutoring center. And while such a motley lineup of small businesses can be found on nearly any of Boston’s narrow streets, it’s the fact that they’re there, present and available for us all to enjoy – despite the fact that, often, we overlook them.

And what’s more is that cultural blocks like these have sprang up over time as the product of a mutual relationship between urbanism and residents. When a city ebbs, its residents flow. Sometimes this proves to be advantageous, though sometimes quite the contrary.

For the 1100 block of Boylston, it’s a mixture of both, though, as of late, it appears to be evolving into the latter.

“It’s more that it was (until recently) a neat of commercial businesses: Loony Tunes records, a liquor store, etc,” considers Grinnell. “The interesting thing is that much of the block is now owned by Berklee. So in a very real sense, it is now ‘institutionalized.’ Not necessarily for the better.”

But the environment is, in many ways, a consequence of its inhabitants. Market forces, Grinnell tells us, are what’s driving the socioeconomics of that particular area, as are technological advances pertaining to public transit. That’s not to say that all is lost for the area. In fact, it affords us the opportunity to truly engage with our urban surroundings through the most visceral form of transportation.

The area, Grinnell opines, is “great for pedestrians and for the human scale of the city.” The perpetual revamping of Boston’s roadways and footpaths, for not only walkers but cyclists, as well, are helping to propel Boston to the forefront of national civic innovation.

For others, the area is hindered by its lack of viable parking. But that shouldn’t have any effect on how one goes about enjoying all of the amenities of a city. It doesn’t for Grinnell, anyway. “I tend not to listen to those people. Cities should be designed primarily for people, not cars.”

But for Grinnell, the truth is evident: Civic innovation is constantly shaping and reshaping both cities and their inhabitants, and the same holds true for the other way around. It’s out there for all of us to observe and appreciate. We just have to open our eyes and look.

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