My name is Corinna Moebius.

Through my work as an author, speaker, consultant, coach and educator, I strive to help fellow humans re-imagine who we are, how we relate to each other, and how we relate to land and the web of life. How do we build planetary ethics and resilience in a world that seems so divided and so at risk?

I’ve always been interested in “place” and its meaning and impact on our lives: home spaces, public and gathering spaces, commercial corridors, heritage districts, neighborhoods, cities and indeed the Living Earth. I also think about the relationship between place and our own bodies (e.g., health and wellness). Instead of thinking of places as bounded and isolated, I think of them in terms of systems, relationships, and flows.

Yet I also investigate the role of urban planning, tourism, economic development and other forces on the creation of place-related borders, orders and inequalities. How might we think and do placemaking (and public memory-making) differently, for a more sustainable, regenerative and equitable world?

I strive to spark both inner transformation and systems change grounded in planetary ethics and an awareness that we are all interconnected and embedded in the web of life.

Areas of Interest, Focus & Expertise

• Inclusive, Equitable & Regenerative …
  • Heritage and Cultural Planning, Tourism and Districts
  • Public Memory Interpretation
  • Urban Planning & Placemaking
  • Community & Small Business Economic Development
• History & Ethnoracial Politics
  • History of U.S./Cuba Ethnoracial Politics | Afro-Cuban/Afro-Latinx History, Culture & Contributions
  • Little Havana (Miami)
• Creative & Innovative Civic Engagement
• Eco-Socialization, Eco-Spirituality and Planetary Ethics

Some Details About My Background …

My background is interdisciplinary: I have equal training as both a cultural anthropologist and a cultural geographer, and I also have a background in public history, Cuban and African diaspora studies, and critical heritage studies. My research centers on U.S./Cuban history and the “mixings” of port cities and “betwixt-and-between” neighborhoods and spaces, like Little Havana.

Professionally, I have worked in urban planning, community and small business economic development, heritage tourism, academia, museums, and the arts, in roles such as consultant, executive director, program director and lecturer. I am regularly invited to serve as a speaker and panelist at events. Most recently, I co-presented a webinar for Smart Growth Online on equitable and sustainable heritage tourism districts.

I recently launched a life coaching business, Living Earth Coaching, and I am also a guest lecturer for the river cruises of American Cruise Lines.

Throughout my career I have prioritized diversity, inclusion and equity, including inclusive processes for civic engagement. I have designed and organized numerous events related to civic engagement, including Changemaker Conferences.

Little Havana

I am also widely known as an expert on Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, where I lived for nearly 15 years. I co-authored a “people’s history” of Little Havana (A History of Little Havana), led popular educational tours of the neighborhood, and was an active civic leader. My award-winning dissertation focuses on the racial history of Little Havana’s heritage district.

Currently, I am finishing the manuscript based in part on my dissertation research. It documents the history of Little Havana’s heritage district and the local, national and transnational racial symbols and politics behind its planning and development.

Baltimore

In 2020 I moved to Baltimore, Maryland. I am currently working on the manuscripts for two books. I have become active in my Baltimore community, serving as an Area Captain on the board of the Mount Washington Improvement Association.