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

Social media has radically altered the fabric of our society, and while there’s still a fair amount of good-natured fun online, the implications of idealized lives, pin-point perfect personas and unblemished “lewks” can have a negative impact on people’s mental health. As we’ve seen unfold with the Facebook Papers over the past month or so, social media may not be in our best interest. In line with this thinking, beauty brand Lush Cosmetics announced it was quitting social media over growing concerns about the mental health of its base. A noble claim indeed, and it’s not the first time the brand has threatened such action. With social media playing a pivotal role in brands’ abilities to connect with and understand their users, as well as sell, sell, sell — it’s a bold move on the part of the cultish skincare company. What do you think of Lush’s stance; crush or crash?

Photo credit: Jacob Owens, Unsplash

We love incubator success stories, like Downtown Norfolk’s Selden Market. This piece from NextCity features the country’s first nonprofit food hall in Tulsa, OK which is paving a new way on the country’s most iconic road; Route 66. Mentorship is the key at Mother Road Market, and now with over 150 businesses having gone through the Kitchen 66 incubator program, they’re helping to fill up the market and move out into locations in the neighborhood. It’s all part of a plan to revitalize a historic, car-centric corridor into a more pedestrian- and transit-friendly district full of local businesses. For one Kitchen 66 Launch Program graduate and food hall vendor, Sharlyn Pierce, this means more than just food. It means community. “Cooking brings people together,” Pierce says. “I want people to feel the love I put into my food. And it’s not a lot of love in this world.” Accelerators, incubators and food halls are all big business right now. If you have a local success story to share, we’d love to hear from you for a forthcoming Trends Report we’re working on here at Bright Brothers Strategy Group. Drop a line!

Photo credit:  Mother Road Market

Your district’s eateries, bars and restos are a driving force when it comes to foot traffic and demand within your footprint. Ever the canny trendwatchers, this piece from Yelp grabbed our attention, as it outlines some top F&B trends from this year, and offers directional guidance for your purveyors who wish to keep on-trend — or one step ahead of the competition. With Yelp’s access to massive amounts of consumer data, they put out solid, numbers-driven content, like the study on the “Top 3 Trending Cuisines by City”, that we featured in our last newsletter. You may be surprised by some of the insights — like the fact that kombucha is projected to become a $7 billion industry in a few years. So grab a snack and hunker down for an informatively delicious piece you can share with your ratepayers and members.

Photo credit: Tyler Nix, Unsplash

We’re hot on the 15-Minute City and have explored its various aspects over the past few years. Here’s a radical re-envisioning out of the Toronto suburb of Mississauga that’s really taking the ethos to heart. As Fast Company reports, a hulking former coal plant that’s been shut down for nearly four decades is now set to become one of the hottest new districts on the planet within ten or fifteen years. Not only are quotidian amenities within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, the reimagined urban area will boast clean infrastructure, heating and cooling without gas furnaces or air conditioners, and a trash collection system that downright sucks.  Literally. 

Photo credit: Fast Company / Cicada Design Inc. /  courtesy Lakeview Village

Has your organization ever been accused of harming the local community? There are some interesting perspectives on our industry, examined in this StreetsBlog NYC piece highlighting BIDs; their function, uses and progress. However, dissenting voices also call out the BID structure as promoters of gentrification and social inequality, hostile architecture and criminalizing organic street activities like vending and skateboarding, among others. “The needs of the public may clash, directly or indirectly, with the spaces BIDs create,” according to Nicole Murray, a member of the Ecosocialist Working Group of NYC-Democratic Socialists of America.  It’s an interesting read with a focus solely on the state of play in the Five Boroughs, and worthy of a big picture read of the urban place management vertical.

Photo credit: Flatiron / 23rd Street Partnership