WELCOME!

This is a new series that will explore how we as a society both utilize and neglect some of the valuable “excess capacities” that exist within the places where we live, work and play. From open streets events and street art festivals drawing tens of thousands of people to a single day event, to longer term “pop-up” activations in vacant storefronts and commercial spaces, excess capacity provides the opportunity to bring out the best in society and each of us individually.

When I speak of this entrenched “excess capacity,” I’m not just referring to the vacant, dark and blighted spaces that may immediately come to mind but to those spaces that may appear to be in use but provide missed opportunities during certain hours, days or in certain physical capacities. The storefront or restaurant that’s closed during the day or evening provides opportunity for events, meeting space, work space or more on those off hours. The office space upstairs may have an empty desk just right for a local entrepreneur to bring their idea to life. That street, clogged with vehicular traffic during the day provides ample space for community events at night and that blank wall on the side, an opportunity for an artists to turn the city street into a living art gallery.

These examples and more will be explored in this series and it will evolve as we go. I welcome your feedback, criticism and ideas of areas I may not have thought about to explore as I dive into a world of opportunities. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the series!

Next in this series we’ll move beyond the street and explore opportunities presented by additional areas of excess capacity in the built environments of our cities and towns.

For questions or input on this series, please shoot me a note on Twitter @berkie1 or leave a comment below with your email and I’ll be in touch soon. Thanks for reading!