– Your Bright Brothers Team
David Romako / Josh Yeager /  Brandi Walsh

Being a teen today is tough, and the experience can be even more compounded for teen girls. So we really loved this piece from Bloomberg CityLab that highlights some excellent examples of the whys and hows of an urban planning movement that we’ve been tracking for a while now. Most urban planners are men and design for men, so when we see initiatives designed around creating urban environments by-and-for women, we like to give credit where it’s due. Something as simple as a hang-out space with amenities designed for women can meet the needs of your community, and the CityLab article points out some amazing examples collated from around the globe. 

What is the “soul” of your place?  We really loved this piece from Planetizen that proffers up a delicious little primer on placemaking. The article offers guidelines for going about placemaking in a sensible and inclusive fashion, and follows many of the principles that guide Bright Brothers with our client projects. We’re talking about digging deep into the community to understand the history and spirit of a place. Persona development and journey mapping are crucial components. Lighting, wayfinding and marketing/messaging are paramount to success of any creative placemaking endeavor, for sure. But the part that grabbed us the most was “Design for Tuesday” recommendation. This principle really resonated with us, and as traditional usage, commuter streams and WFH have upended and changed the nature of the districts we steward, being cognizant of, and programming for various dayparts and experiences are all essential aspects of a successful initiative. Give this one a look. It’s a quick read and should help inform you and your team no matter what your next undertakings, activations or programming constitute.

Photo credit: Leo Kwan, Unsplash

…that you can chat with a mural, play piano on subway stairs or interact with a tweeting pothole? These are all examples of interactive placemaking and what ArchDaily is calling “Urban Gamification”.  You’re probably familiar with elements of game playing incorporated into all sorts of experiences like learning new languages (Duolingo), earning “free” drinks with your Starbucks of Dunkins app or even fitness motivation (NikeFuel), and we’re at that perfect confluence of technology and the urban experience, that cities are getting in on the action to improve user engagement with urban spaces. We saw some pretty cool examples of augmented reality in this year’s IDA Pinnacle Award submissions, as well as illumination-based examples of interactive buildings, murals and digital passports that we delved into with our Trends Report for placemakers.  Which one of you will be the first to create a gamified urban experience?  Message us if you wanna discuss!

Photo credit: Mika Baumeister, Unsplash

Arguably, social media managers have one of the most challenging roles in our industry, so anything we can do to make their lives even an iota easier is awesome. To that end, Bright Brothers wanted to celebrate the social on your team and fête one of our fave holidays all at once. Please forward this e-blast to your social manager to download this FREE and fun Halloween “This or That” template. Pop in your own organization’s branding, and your fans and followers can customize and share with their friends (while supporting your district and ratepayers)!  Plus, who doesn’t love freebies? The template is sized for Stories and hopefully it gives your social person an easy win this month. Enjoy and let us know whatcha think!

So what’s the real economic impact of those streeteries that popped up during the pandemic?  Certainly more than parking! This piece from The Globe and Mail grabbed our attention as it explores trends in parking across cities throughout Canada. But the shocking tidbit for us was that research from Toronto indicated that the same street space used for streeterties in the summer of 2021 generated more than $181 million for the city, compared to a mere $3.7 million in parking revenue from the same footprint. As cities across the globe grapple to define highest and best uses, and whether or not to retain the highly popular street eateries, these numbers make for a compelling argument in favor of vibrancy, interest and eating — as opposed to passive storage of vehicles.

Photo credit: Robinson Greig, Unsplash