iF Quarterly
Home is where the iF is
Introducing our new office and sharing the history of our neighborhood, while taking a look back at 2022
It’s a new year, and Intentional Futures is starting 2023 in brand new digs.
We moved (just a few blocks) down the street to an office building all our own, with characteristic iF charm and quirk. We spent the past 9 years on the fifth floor of the iconic Bullitt Center, a beautiful testament to humanity’s hope for a more sustainable future, but we realized the need for a larger and more private space. The intention behind our move was driven primarily by our desire to host our community, including stakeholders, clients, and thought partners in a gathering space that promotes collaboration and an exchange of ideas.
As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, we envision a new year ripe with in-person collaborations, learning sessions, community workshops, and more. Moving and securing a new space isn’t just about our team, it’s about our community and our stakeholders. We have lots of ideas on how to do this in fun, impactful, and safe ways — dinner party anyone?
While we are still getting settled, we want to share the defining qualities and history of our new neighborhood, our organization, and our work as we reflect on 2022 and envision the year ahead.
The new office
Our new home is a beautiful 3-story commercial space located in the Central District of Seattle — the former home of a landscape architecture firm from 1988–2019. The new physical location coincides with easing COVID restrictions, as we hope to host more clients and the community at our office in the coming year. The surrounding neighborhood– known in Seattle as the Central District — is rich with history, and an often-fraught past.
What’s known in Seattle today as the Central District occupies the mostly-residential area between Rainier Valley and First Hill, and is historically one of Seattle’s most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Inhabited initially by the Native Duwamish People, the Central District became urbanized around the same time as the downtown metro area. As a result of redlining and racial covenants, the Central District was home to mainly Black, Jewish, and Asian families throughout the early 1900s and up until the 2000s. As a haven for people of color amongst segregation and racist housing policies, the Central District grew to be known as a place where Black businesses thrived, immigrants could build community, and cultures were celebrated. In the last decade, gentrification has taken hold and the historic racial composition of the neighborhood has shifted greatly. Despite this, the history of the area is preserved by many Black and POC-owned businesses and community gathering spaces.
It’s our hope that in the years ahead, Intentional Futures and our iFsters will be able to leverage the new office to engage with the surrounding community, listen to and incorporate our stakeholders in meaningful ways, and make the space a place where folks are excited to visit.
What else was new in 2022
2022 was a big year for us– not only are we in a new home, but we also added three new practices, eight new iFsters, and welcomed a new president.
As we reflect on the past year and the wonderful group of strategists, designers, and administrators we’re lucky to call our colleagues, it’s fitting to harken back to our humble beginnings.
Our first assignment as an agency was The Big History Project; a collaboration with Gates Ventures to implement a more holistic approach to history in high school classrooms. From the themes and values in that first project, iF’s present-day mission began to take shape:
Be the most impactful consultancy by advancing the world’s capacity for empathy, ingenuity, and effective collaboration.
12 years on, iF is at once reminiscent of that first project and an entirely new organization. We’re grateful for where we’ve been, what and who we are, and what’s ahead. 2023 will be yet another year of collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and innovative work with our clients– we’re excited you’re joining us for it.
A message from our CEO, Michael Dix:
“2022 was a year of growth and transformation for iF — with a new home, talented additions to the team, new practices and methodologies, and strengthened leadership. I feel immense gratitude for the people at iF and the clients we have the privilege of working alongside with to drive innovation and impact. Thank you all for your trust in us. Here’s to a fruitful, collaborative and fun 2023.”
If you’re curious to read more about our new neighborhood:
Every quarter, Intentional Futures puts out a long-form piece on what we’ve been up to, and what we’re thinking about.
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We’d love to host you at our new space! If you’re in the area, please reach out to info@intentionalfutures.com to schedule a visit to 2329 East Madison Street Seattle, WA 98122–4475.
