The pandemic has accelerated or fomented myriad changes in our society, many of which impact downtowns, districts and cities of all sizes. So it’s no wonder we keep tabs on all sorts of sea changes that are awash these days. In this issue we tap into newly-minted Night Mayors, poetic placemaking, public toilets, a music audit meant to mint gold, and the model design for the new hybrid workplace — replete with amenities designed to attract and retain those employees everyone seems to be having trouble finding and keeping. It’s a wild, wooly and steamy hot summer edition of the Bright Brothers Bulletin, and we’re here for feedback. Tell us whatcha like and what you don’t before logging onto that next Zoom meeting, why doncha?
– Your Bright Brothers Team David Romako / Josh Yeager / Brandi Walsh
With the 9-to-5 grind of yesteryear now dead, including its associated rush hours (now we just have traffic all the time), a significant emphasis in recovery efforts is focused on dayparting. We must program our streets for when people are out-and-about, as well as when we can lure them out, which often means after dark. This has led a slew of cities to nominate Night Mayors, or individuals tasked with developing and promoting nighttime economies. Nightlife has always been part of the attraction to cities, and with this prominent new focus, cities from around the globe, such as Atlanta, Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Philly, and even now San Francisco are designating an official point person. Other cities are ahead of the curve, having put Night Mayors (or their equivalents) in place before the pandemic, like Amsterdam, London, Manchester, Prague and DC, even NYC — however their roles are increasingly vital now that pandemic recovery is at the forefront of every city’s agenda. And while it sounds like a pretty cool role and title, The responsibilities and pressure must be absolutely diamond-making in nature. We’re working on a Trends Paper about Night Mayors and would love to speak with you if your city or district has one. Drop us a line or simply reply to this email.
The sagacious writer T.S. Elliott once penned, “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood,” and that sentiment still rings true today. This is also one of the reasons we absolutely flipped over this light placemaking installation called “Curbside Haiku” from the newly-formed Downtown Tulsa Partnership, headed up by the fearless and peerless Brian Kurtz and his team. We love the simplicity of the installation. We love that they tapped local resources to do it, including design by a local artist and business owner, and all the haikus were crowdsourced from local stakeholders with an emphasis on vibrancy and inclusivity. The partnership even gave props to the haikus that didn’t make the cut on their landing page. Applause and kudos all around for this simple, yet scintillating placemaking initiative! Which haiku is your fave?
Photo credit: Downtown Tulsa Partnership
…that Philly has a public toilet shortage? Actually, we can’t just single out Philly because the U.S. as a whole is experiencing a dearth of essentials where one might address their unmentionables. In fact, in 1970 pay toilets were the norm, with more than 50,000 enlisted nationwide, however by 1980 almost no pay toilets survived. So what’s a person to do? We’ve adapted ad hoc, by memorizing the locations of Starbucks and the ilk with free toilets to use, but that doesn’t solve the problem for cities. And with the number of people experiencing homelessness rising to crisis levels across the country, we can’t just fold our legs, sit back and squeeze. Enter the Portland Loo. This pioneering type of public toilet out of — you guessed it, Oregon — is being explored by city officials from Philadelphia to D.C. and beyond, and may be the answer to our most pressing public needs. The per person to toilet ratios across the globe boggle the mind, and we invite you to let loose and read this quick dive from SmartCities. We’ve seen the posts in the IDA fora, and we know this is a hot topic for many of you.
Photo credit: Visuals, Unsplash
When you say something like “music city”, places like Austin, Nashville, or maybe even Branson, MO may come to mind. Staking your claim and pegging your downtown to music is a strategy that can lead to increased economic activity, upticks in employment and even more equitable returns. We loved this piece from Next City that shows how Huntsvllle, AL turned a four-year creative placemaking process that started with a “music audit” into gold for this southern city of less than 200K in population. It’s an inventive ploy and not without its challenges, and community engagement is an absolutely necessary component of the plan. Yet, cities that have adopted music at the intersection of placemaking and economic development have seen quantifiable impacts in the billions of dollars. Worth it? You tell us!
Photo credit: Alexander Popov, Unsplash
We’ve been discussing the changes and impacts to cities and downtowns stemming from, or accelerated by the pandemic, and Philadelphia’s Navy Yard just announced the opening of a model piece of office real estate; the brand spankin’-new Rite-Aid headquarters. But it’s not the typical CBRE office space of yore. The new HQ is purposefully flexible in design and intended to offer a nomadic home to peripatetic employees, when they want and need to come into the office to be in cahoots and co-produce — not a permanent home for cubicle rats. Referring to the space as a “collaboration center” the design boasts 23,000 square feet of meeting space with all the modern bells and whistles like digital “Neat Boards” for video conferencing, a video studio, anon-site catering kitchen, a “respite room” and, get this — a Genius bar. Sounds like pretty cool digs, and a model for many other businesses looking to tap into the best of collaborative work spaces with a burgeoning WFH workforce. With other examples popping up on the radar, we’re watching closely to see how this trend plays out.
