My name is Emaleigh Doley. Yes, e-m-a-l-e-i-g-h is pronounched just like Emily (and there is a story about that which involves David Sedaris). 

A native Philadelphian, I grew up in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, where the streets are still lined with cobblestones, and the suburbs of Havertown. From there, I spent five years loving nearly everything about Washington D.C. while majoring in English (minoring in Film and African American studies) at The George Washington University (B.A. 2005). I landed back in Philly in 2005.

Live. Work. Play. Organize.

I connect readers with content as the Audience Engagement Editor at the urban affairs journalism publication Next City. Next City is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting cities and informing the people who work to improve them. Special projects include the Informal City Dialogues, a year-long project supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and conducted by Forum for the Future, which aims to foster a conversation about the informal urban realm, and how it can be cultivated and harnessed for the benefit of all.

I dig through garbage, figuratively, writing about Philadelphia's litter epidemic for AxisPhilly. The intention of the series ultimately is to elevate the conversation around how to change the culture of littering here in Philadelphia, and make our exhaustive efforts more effective. The non-profit news and information organization's mission is to educate and engage citizens on topics of public interest while empowering them with tools to participate in developing and implementing change.


I co-organize the W Rockland Street project, a citizen-driven neighborhood improvement effort focused on one block in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood. In 2009, my sister Aine and I began working on a series of improvement projects in response to escalating quality of life issues and growing crime. We document our work on the blog rocklandstreet.com. The W Rockland Street project serves as an example of what one Philadelphia city block can do to change its future  through citizen engagement, do-it-yourself spirit, and tactical urbanism.

I work with TEDxPhilly, an independently organized TED event, created to bring people together to share a TED-like experience on the local level. TEDxPhilly held its first multidisciplinary conference in 2010, guided by the theme Right Here, Right Now. The 2011 conference examined vast interpretations of the theme The City. Stay tuned for details on TEDxPhilly 2013 and visit tedxphilly.com to explore past years.

I like ... fountains : pedro almodovar : interactive art and site-specific performances : outdoor sculpture and other public art : clever tv : sitting on my porch : riding trains : coffee table books : Ocean City, NJ : museums around the world : taking pictures : collecting postcards : giant strawberries : friends in New York City : bookstores : live music (from the gospel blues of Sister Rosetta Tharpe to party man Prince, poet/rocker Patti Smith and the improvisational PHISH) : bicycling : netflix : David Sunflower Seeds : traveling : the wonderful world wide web : great quotes : "I keep inside myself, in my private museum, everything I have seen and loved in my life." – Andre Malraux