The Positive Impact of Creative, Playable Spaces

826 Valencia Tenderloin Center. Image © Matthew Millman.

As designers we understand the powerful effect of creativity on ourselves and others. We challenge ourselves to create designs that inspire and connect people. We challenge ourselves to continuously seek new sources of inspiration, to create the new and unexpected. We do it because we love it, because it’s fun, because we form connections—with clients, partners and community members—and hope that our work is making even a little bit of a difference. But there is always the lingering question: does it matter? What is the actual impact of creative space?

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Where the Streets Have No Name

Image © Jordan Berta.

I see a picture of a girl sitting near New York City’s Highline, gazing out on an empty street. It’s an evocative image, a little sad actually, and I can’t help but wonder, “Why is the street so empty?” I realize it was taken at an off-hour, but that’s the wonder of the photograph. I joke to myself that The Highline has so wildly succeeded at presenting an above grade urban experience that the experiences of the surrounding streets have been sapped of their energy and urgency. I pause briefly to visualize a Blade Runner city of hierarchical levels racing upwards to new heights. I see a place where blighted streets sit empty, collecting trash and debris and housing the less fortunate. But that kind of dystopian future only happens in bad ‘60s urbanism and science fiction, right?

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