We capture an entire area in data, then physically change the one space that emerges from it. Repeating this back-and-forth is how a city builds up change people can actually feel. We never stop at research, and we never stop at construction.
We often hear that people aren't sure where to start the conversation. If any of these sound familiar, we can pick it up from there.
We layer foot-traffic, retail, and real-estate data to visualize an area's potential. Working at the scale of the whole area, we point toward where value can be created, and build a shared data foundation that makes people want to take on the challenge.
For idle real estate and vacant spaces, we handle everything from design through management and operation. We give each individual place its own story and use, building up change in the city that people can actually feel.
We layer area data to visualize where the potential lies. Giving numbers to what was once described only by intuition lets priorities for development and investment fall into place naturally. Our goal is to make "there's this much potential here" something you can say in numbers.
Our design work isn't only about aesthetics. We build spaces as an extension of research and planning — who will use them, how, and what relationships will form. We design all the way through to how the space will be run.
Renting a vacant storefront outright is a heavy decision for anyone. If people can start with just a single day, more of them will try. That accumulation is what leaves a city with its next generation of tenants. We build and run our own map platform for this: Placebook.
We don't stop at building and handing over the keys. We stay involved as a partner that keeps growing a place's value. As assets and systems take root in an area, a cycle forms where the next generation of challengers gathers naturally.
Cost depends on the size of the area, the kind of analysis needed, and the form of the deliverable. Below is a general guide to how we think about it. We'll provide a specific quote after an initial hearing.
We see the city as a platform, and pursue hands-on collaboration across borders. Working with the UK's urban innovation body, Connected Places Catapult, we've advanced urban strategy, startup support, and university exchange between South Wales and Fukuoka/Kitakyushu.
Unlike conventional sister-city exchanges, we aim to build a collaboration model that produces concrete results. Being able to access an international context while based in the regions is, itself, part of opening up a city's potential.
The most common inquiries we get start from "I'm not sure what I can even ask for." Before budgeting, before planning — that's fine. Let's start by talking about your area.