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

It’s been nearly three years since the pandemic shut down our communities en masse, so now we’re starting to see a lot of forecasting around what cities need, and what our communities want from their public spaces and shared urban experiences. With so much change afoot, we can see the beginnings of some key themes emerging and LOTS of discussion around what city life means now. Planetizen is calling this a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to remake our downtowns; exploring the return of office dwellers and commercial conversions. SmartCitiesDive focused on 13 predictions and trends impacting the urban experience from curb management to digital twinning, to smart transportation and shared mobility options, to AI- and EV-adoption, to microcities and adaptive reuse. And those clever urban planning and architecture smartypants at Gensler have rolled out this year’s Design Forecast that includes insights and advice from their 29 practice areas, and published their 10 meta trends that are redefining and transforming the future of cities — now! Look for key areas like reclaiming experience, live-work connections, stranded assets, intelligent places and more. If you read all three articles, you’ll come away with a clear picture of the pressures and challenges facing most cities today, as well as some smart, “people-first, data-driven solutions” — like those we develop for downtowns, districts and DMOs of all sizes. Need help making sense of it all, or what it means specifically for your locality? Give us a shout!

Photo credit: Ryoji Iwata, Unsplash

We ❤ Toronto for so many reasons, and in the past few months there have been several positive pieces coming out of “Toronto the Good” that make our hearts sing. What we love the most is the quantifiable data! As place management practitioners, we know that numbers speak to many, so having the stats to back you up never hurts. It was recently reported that Toronto’s curbside patios earned 49 times more money than the parking they replaced, to the tune of $181M (compared to the mere $3.7M the parking spots would have generated during the same time period). Just this January, a placemaking study conducted by Toronto Metropolitan University looked at several data points suggesting real and perceived value around sites that included enhanced signage and wayfinding, public art installations, or spatial rearrangements. The study found that placemaking initiatives produced exponential increases in positive perceptions of enhanced places, as well as increased likelihood of recommending the spaces, and a whopping 50% increase in time spent, along with superior brand allegiance or feelings of “self congruity” with those spaces. With numbers like this, coming outta “The 6ix”, we can all look to our neighbors to the north for inspo and empirical data to support our efforts!

Photo credit:  Cassidy Dickens, Unsplash

…that conspiracy theorists are now taking umbrage with the 15 Minute City? Grab your aluminum foil hat and take a gander at this piece from Dazed that demonstrates how conspiracy theorists want you to believe that the big, scary “powers that be” want to imprison you in a dystopian, open-air hoosegow. You may literally LOL at the claims of “coercive control”, but it’s best to read up and prepare yourself and your staff now, should you find yourself needing to defend progressive urban design concepts at your next neighborhood public input session.

Photo credit: Frankie Lopez, Unsplash

We talk a lot about DEI in our industry and that’s a good thing, but inclusion comes in many forms and the conversation can go in many directions. Two good articles we’d like to share with you center around accessibility and what it means for marketers. This insightful piece from MarketingBrew looks at disability representation and accessibility with some interesting case examples, as well as general guidance around accessibility from Josh Loebner, global head of inclusive design at mega agency Wunderman Thompson. And LinkedIn recently rolled out a slew of easy-to-use tools to promote inclusivity for all, like improved video accessibility, auto-captioning and high-contrast videos, alternative text and more. Did you know that individuals (sorry admin accounts), can now schedule posts on LinkedIn, as well as access enhanced content analytics? Share with a friend or colleague today!

Photo credit: Daniel Ali, Unsplash

You’ve most likely heard of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), but did you know the organization is regionally divided, to best serve local communities? Founded in 1936, the organization now has over 45K members worldwide in 80+ countries, and the work the organization does at the local level is so impactful. Last summer our co-founder Josh Yeager was invited to participate on a TAP (Technical Assistance Panel) with the local Philadelphia District Council, that explored mechanisms for maintaining physical and social infrastructure along Philly’s historic (and historically underserved) North Broad Street. The two-day TAP included an interdisciplinary team that analyzed and assessed green space impacts, and sustainable funding mechanisms for North Broad Renaissance, a Special Services District (SSD) that has purview over four miles of urban infrastructure and public realm, along the major N/S artery, that intersects with dozens of other formalized BIDs, CDCs. RCOs, numerous nonprofits and multiple communities of color in North Philly. The TAP process included stakeholder and community engagement, a physical site tour, as well as outreach and feedback from literal “boots on the ground”. The results of the panel were recently published here and include insights and recommendations on the “virtuous cycle”, economic and workforce development, building relationships, and the demonstrated value of green public space. We wish North Broad Renaissance the best of luck, and hope you tap into the power, thought-leadership and opportunities with your local ULI district council!

Photo credit: Brandi Alexandra, Unsplash