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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline?

Inspiration 894 inspirations

Concepting 329 concepts

Applause 329 final concepts

Refinement 20 final concepts

Evaluation 20 final concepts

Winning Concepts Announced!

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ZipSpaces

Rent out unused storefronts on a daily or weekly basis for pop-up art, impromptu food festivals, and music jam sessions.Modeled after ZipCar, ZipSpaces allows organizations with low capital to use space easily, making the area a haven for start ups.

UPDATED! Many cities facing economic decline have too many abandoned buildings and unused spaces. These can be a hazard...or a vibrant communal resource.

By taking over abandoned, unused or temporarily vacant storefronts and commercial properties, for arts, music and cultural events, the city can foster a dynamic ever changing scene of cultural start-ups, while simultaneously addressing the issue of hazardous abandoned buildings.

Building on the model of ZipCar, AirBnB, and bikeshares, we can set up a model to "check out" commercial space from the city. For example, if you pay a minor up front fee, you get a key card, that allows you to open the door to these spaces for the period of time you have checked them out. Resident users report when anything was broken or left unclean, just as dirty cars and broken bikes are reported, and hosts can verify users just as they do on AirBnB. Owners post spaces and mark what they could be used for: does it have a kitchen? Could it be a restaurant? Does it have a garden? Could it be used for a wedding reception? Does it look run-down? Could it be used to film a rap video or stage West Side Story? Some spaces could even just be "underused": a daycare that closes at 6pm could rent out space to a church group for evenings and weekends. A tech start-up could have an young artist zip her bold canvases in to show them in the windows cases. Spaces are searchable by use, and each owner tags only the uses that space is zoned for (see Decode the Code for how they could know what they are zoned for.)

Having easily accessible "ZipSpace" would allow start ups and other creative organizations with low capital access to flex space legally and at low cost without needing to rent a more permanent place, making the city a good locale for start-ups.

Online businesses can try out a street-side presence for a week, and larger businesses can try expanding into other neighborhoods. Vocational schools can practice their repair skills by helping with the abandoned buildings, and elementary schools can create a gallery of student art or challenge adults to computation add-downs. Business schools can have their students take exams by creating successful 1-week businesses and massage students can set up shop on the corner to earn some extra revenue. Warehouses can host a festival of artisans' wares with just two members of the crew staffing it to allow everyone else time to create, but without needing to have a contract with a store. This is a "bazaare" that is sensitive to neighborhood passions, by the people, for the people. And each space, where once it was empty, now hosts gospel practices and pie-making rivalries this week and yoga, and a wedding the next.

RESTORING VIBRANCY
ZipSpaces restores vibrancy in 5 ways:
1) Converts hazards into opportunities by transforming abandoned spaces into enticing offerings
2) Creates a rich environment for start-ups (starting-up start-ups just got easier)
3) Rebrands the city and area
4) Brings new foot-traffic to the neighborhood
5) Creates new business and boosts economic activity for the city

Of course depending on who you are, this is exciting in so many different ways...

A VALUE PROPOSITIONS FOR YOU AND ME
1) The value proposition for USERS a.k.a. "You mean I can get a space just for a few days to put on our play?"
-Spaces is available when you need it for just the amount of time you need it
-Low up-front investment
-Choose spaces by location, time, or set-up you need
- Flexibility to do things you just can't do out of your cubicle or living room
-Try out new things at a low cost, whether you are an online business seeing if a retail presence makes sense, or an artist who thinks that your art looks better in person than on a website, or a massage student ready to earn a little more money

2) The value proposition for SPACE OWNERS a.k.a "Wait, so I get to rent out this space short term while I figure out what else to do with it, and the customers come to me?"
-Opportunity to rent out unused space for small or large spaces of time
-Flexibility to put on market or take off as needed--no long term commitment
-Customers come to you
-Low maintenance: customers come to you, schedule directly on the website, swipe in when their keys are activated--you dont have to let them in everytime, and payment gets processed directly to you
-Potential to attract long term renters or buyers
-Get more money the more attractive your site is
-Security to know your place will get treated well, as part of ZipSpace

Guaranteed

3) The value proposition for CITIES a.k.a "So you are saying that all these unused areas are spaces that can start-up new businesses, attract tourists and boost business in the area?"
-Create vibrant, arts, culture, food, music or you-name-it scene
-Create hot-beds for new start-ups
-Rebrand areas
-Create vibrancy responsive to local citizen's needs passions and desires: by the people for the people
-Boost volume of commercial activity in the area
-Decrease safety hazards
-Populate abandoned neighborhoods
-Provide forum for public-private partnerships, vocational student educations,
-Create constant source of potential buzz with rapidly rotating businesses
-Visibility into needs and trends of community

4) The value proposition for RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS a.k.a "You gotta come! It's different every week and its yummy. And the people are always crazy-friendly--they want to tell you all about how they started making apple crisp"
-Fun! Crazy! Ridiculous! Enlivening! Inspiring!
-Stop by and you never know what you will find
-New ideas come to your door step
-Boutique items at a lower cost (its lower rent, baby)
-Connections with vendors
-Motivation to get out and explore the city
-Feel 'in-the-know' about your neighborhood (we can all be hipsters...or something)
-Make a new discovery every day
-Meet inspirational people

INTEGRATING OpenIDEO's BRILLIANCE: AN AMALGAMATED JOINT-CONCEPT

This idea can integrate with several of the other final concepts to create an amalgamated joint-concept. Here's how I see them integrating. "Make Lemonade" consultants can pop-up in local store-fronts in key areas, making appearances serendipitously, or for a few hours each week in all the neighborhoods they serve, by zipping out 2 hour time slots in each place. Dialogue Booster venues can rotate with them: maybe start a Dialogue Booster conversation first, then bring in a Make Lemonade consultant, to help turn the new ideas into something actionable and real. Then in the same space where these conversations originated, you can try putting in place the new idea with a low-input pop-up. Did it address the need? Lets have a Dialogue Booster, and maybe a lemonade consultant--we can refine it. To think about how these spaces could be used long term, ZipSpace users and owners alike could start "Open City" dialogues about what the space is especially well situated and built for, or what the community most needs there, with an ideas board staying in the space from user to user. Then they can try it out with a pop-up and see it if sticks. This could dovetail with the Dialogue-Booster and Lemonade consultants and bring the conversation online where many more can participate. There can be a monthly "Treasure Hunt" where people scout for pop-ups done by neighbors in areas they might not yet have been to, and get their life stories. How did you start baking? Why did you start filming movies? BuyLocally can provide a social media to get people excited about the surprises popping up outside their doors, and provide "pop-up points." Dovetailing with the "Treasure Hunt" BuyLocally can share these stories and where you can meet these people on an ongoing basis--maybe at the pop-up from the Treasure Hunt or maybe they've moved to a corner near you. Rivarly! Can host competitions between neighborhoods to pop-up the best solutions to a social problem--or the best pizza with only four ingredients. Neighborhood residents compete with each other with 4 pop-ups facing off against 4-more pop ups. It need not just be established restaurants and their staff--Zipspaces means that all neighbors could create their own pop-up to try to win the rivarly! Barter Marketplaces can popup around the city, drawing different crowds everytime, depending on the neighborhood they arrived in. This would allow an easy, legal and zoning compliant way to find spaces. Maybe OpenCity can help support the dialogue about where a Barter-place should pop-up. So many of our ideas focus on using abandoned spaces well, creating an easy way to identify and know you can legally use them would unlock the potential of all these initiatives to make change. This is the value-add ZipSpace's website brings, and Decoding the Code can help get more people who want to post their spaces but are not sure what zoning space it is in to have the information they need to post. To "Engage students" in pop-ups they can use their construction skills to help get abandoned buildings up to par (just like Habitat for Humanity does), allow students to hold "open hours" with their skills for local residents (see also Molly's suggestions in the comments section). And students who have new ideas for a business, they can pilot it for a day or two, even as a class project, in pop-up spaces. "Pocket-change" is real in real store-fronts, and not only would students see they can really create a business that earns income, but residents would begin to see them as young citizens with valuable contributions and skills to turn to because they could see them at work, just down the block. With a forum for efficiently and legally checking out spaces, such innovative and dynamic ideas can come together into a whole that can transform not only a few blocks but a whole city.

What resources (money, time, people, technology, etc) will your concept need to be successful?

THE JOY OF ZIPSPACES IS THAT IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO SET UP: 3 people, a website, money for door locks, space, a computer and some tools. That's it.

The simplicity is that the rest is donated: no big warehouses, no production costs. People bring their underused spaces and their ideas, and we match 'em.

THE ZIPTEAM: 3 PEOPLE
This can all start with just 3 motivated people.
1) THE WEBDESIGNER --You see your self as a virtual matchmaker--making it easy for entrepreneurs to find spaces and spaces to find their soul-mates. You love programming and beautiful simple visuals.
2) THE NETWORKER--You know this city and you love it. You can find the first 2-5 spaces and you know exactly who would want to do a pop up there. You can talk with city officials and help them see the potential for this, getting their team's advice when you need it.
3) THE OPERATIONS GEEK--You do a detailed check on potential spaces, you like to think about details, like pricing models.
Of course if it goes viral, get more hands on deck! See the attachment for how the hands can add on to the team.

ZIP WEBSITE
We think of this as match-making entrepreneurs with their spaces. The website is the matchmaker: it can be simple or fancy. Overall it provides a space for users to log in, view and reserve spaces, and for owners to nominate their spaces and share information about them, and uses PayPal to process payments.

INFRASTRUCTURE: JUST LOCKS and SPACE
ZipSpaces amazingly only needs two types of infrastructure:
1) Door-locks: This is the kind of lock where when your key-card is activated from the website, you can go to your new space and "zip-in" (Think ZipCar). 2) A team-room. At the beginning this can be a livingroom, later a ZipSpace. There might be additional infrastructure later, but for the moment, its simple-chickens.

COSTS
The main costs of ZipSpace divide into two kinds:
1) Fixed costs:a) Start-up (Website development, Staff time, contracting fees)
b) Ongoing (Working space, Administration staff time, equipment: Computers, Hard-hat team tools)
2) Variable costs, which are used more the more folks we match: (Door-locks; Team-time spent on vetting, registration, user support, and responding to maintenance and other requests)

This cost structure is exciting! Why? Because we have a low variable cost model this means that once the model scales it gets cheaper and cheaper to maintain, per space. That means that we can take lower and lower fees per space as it launches or reinvest the money to spreading this to other locations that need it. That mean's we'll likely want to start up fast and ensure that our systems make it easy to spread rapidly and well. And once it does, it gets and stays cheap.

HOW IT WORKS--THE BACK-OFFICE TOUR, BABY
1) How spaces fall in love and become ZipSpaces
2) How people fall in love (with us) and become Zip-Users
3) How we keep you all safe
4) How we keep it all legal (Zoning and other key ideas)
5) How rent works
6) How the money works (ours)
7) How we operate
8) How exciting is it
This one is easy: Very!
For details on each area, see the attachment

What steps could you take to implement this idea today?

1...2...3...LIVE! In 30 days.

ZipSpaces has the potential to be up-and-running as a pilot within a month, with a full launch 3-6 months later. Scaling to other locations after the initial launch goes quickly. Here are the steps we would need to take:

THE STEPS TO GO LIVE:
1) Preparation: Gather the team, Build the pilot
2) Pilot it: Run, Refine, Build capacity for a full launch, baby
3) Go Live: Launch, Recruit and support, Get ready to scale

TIMELINE
Month 1: Prepare
Day 30: Launch Pilot!
Months 2-7: Run and refine pilot in phases
Month 7: Go Live!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WANT TO BUILD A PROTOTYPE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Need a step-by-step plan? Ask and thou shalt receive, below:
(For a more detailed plan, see attachment)

PREPARATION (1 month)
a) Gather the team:
      -Your core team is 3-people--grab two friends and go.
      -Formalize informal partnerships.
b) Build the pilot infrastructure:
      - Set up the website
      - Get insurance
      - Build the checklist for vetting

PILOT IT (3-6 months)
a) Run
      -Get 2-5 ZipSpaces online (recruit the spaces personally)
      -Get a team of test-users: Tell a small group of artisans, religious groups or otherwise entrepreneurial people to test its use--make sure you tell them its in beta stage and they are part of the tweaking team!
b) Refine
      -What's working, what's not?
      -What can we change?
c) Build capacity for a full launch (phased approach)
      -Build out full website, with all the cool features you dream of
      -Build pipeline of new spaces and users
      -Build security and user-verification features (e.g. links to Facebook and skype, etc)
      -Build capacity for a full launch

GO LIVE (GO!)
a) Launch
      -Go live! Make a big fuss
      -Ensure the first pop ups eye-poping, and people know about them
b) Recruit and Support
      - Recruit additional pipelines of new spaces, and users
      -Support user needs and field ideas for new possibilities
c) Get ready to scale....
      -That's the next section, you silly.

How can your idea be scaled so that it's implemented in cities around the world?

Built right, one website of ZipSpaces could leverage vacant spaces all around the world. It can be scaled globally because of three features:
1) Anyone, anywhere around the world can rent spaces, anyone can post spaces.
2) Globally compatible door access: go anywhere, your key will work
3) Streamlined social media.
To bring this to a new city it does not take special infrastructure, just locals who want it, and someone to vet spaces. 5 users can start it in a new city.

1) ONE WEBSITE TO ZIP THEM ALL One website platform, accessible around the country or world allows anyone to post spaces and anyone to rent them. All the infrastructure is already built. The only thing that would be needed to be done locally is to vet the spaces the first time they go online. The rest you can use from the website that is already set up.
This would allow each city to leverage the central website and allow a global user population. This has three advantages: a) Saved costs of website development, and maintenance, and start-up time b) Boosting international exchange, by making it easy for American artists to show their work in Germany or bands to put together a global tour c) Ease of movement. Many pop-ups could visit a series of cities at a time, creating a corridor of innovation.

2) GO ANYWHERE, YOUR KEY WILL WORK. Globally compatible door access. This would allow users from anywhere to arrive in a city and be able to open up their art gallery without having to visit an office and process paperwork.

3) STREAMLINED SOCIAL MEDIA There is nothing like surprise to create buzz. At work its not "whats for lunch today" but "what popped up on your block today?" People tell each other about what surprised them, online and offline, and the media from this can be explosive. When users could share their events via one streamlined social media four things happen: a) lots more people get involved b) it rebrands the city c) people in other cities begin to hear and starting posting and renting in their own city d) tourists hear about popups and come check them out on their visits. BuyLocal is a wonderful platform for this, allowing "pop-up points" for special use and connections between neighbors to flourish. With streamlined social media, people could see what was popping up no matter what city they landed in, boosting foot traffic and making popups a locus for international mixing. Vendors and musicians on tour from ZipSpace to ZipSpace would also bring their virtual 'friends' and 'followers' to their new city, helping people in Paris learn about cool stuff happening in Detroit. And thus a virtual network of innovation is born.

My Virtual Team

Jessica Rudder, Susmita De, Meghan Dufresne, Benjamin Epstein, Johan Lofstrom, Sean Jalleh, Cambell Fry, Catherine, Ranyee Chiang, Meena Khadri, Becca Linden, David Slusky, Nathan, Scott, Paul Reader, Carla, Tamar, Chelsea P, Nicholas Russell, Nancy Meyer, Benjamin Singer, Molly Lindsay

48 Evaluations so far

How well does this concept restore vibrancy to cities and regions facing economic decline?

This concept will definitely restore vibrancy to struggling cities
This concept has potential to restore vibrancy to struggling cities
This concept will not restore vibrancy to struggling cities

How scalable is this concept across struggling cities and regions worldwide?

This concept could be scaled for impact across multiple locations
This concept will take a fair bit of work to build and scale
This concept is not particularly scalable

Does this concept require a lot of resources (time, money, people, etc) to achieve impact?

Not really – few resources would be needed to get results
Somewhat – significant resources would be needed to get results
Yes – considerable resources would be needed to get results

How easy would it be for our community to design an early prototype of this concept?

Easy – we could start prototyping this today
A bit tricky – but we could figure it out
Not at all easy – we'd need help from outside experts on this

Overall, how do you feel about this concept?

It rocked my world
I liked it but preferred others
It didn't get me overly excited

How well does this concept restore vibrancy to cities and regions facing economic decline?

This concept will definitely restore vibrancy to struggling cities This concept has potential to restore vibrancy to struggling cities This concept will not restore vibrancy to struggling cities

How scalable is this concept across struggling cities and regions worldwide?

This concept could be scaled for impact across multiple locations This concept will take a fair bit of work to build and scale This concept is not particularly scalable

Does this concept require a lot of resources (time, money, people, etc) to achieve impact?

Not really – few resources would be needed to get results Somewhat – significant resources would be needed to get results Yes – considerable resources would be needed to get results

How easy would it be for our community to design an early prototype of this concept?

Easy – we could start prototyping this today A bit tricky – but we could figure it out Not at all easy – we'd need help from outside experts on this

Overall, how do you feel about this concept?

It rocked my world I liked it but preferred others It didn't get me overly excited

Cancel

Downloads

Step-by-step prototype manual: how-to-create-a-prototype.doc

The Back-Office Tour, Baby: the-back-office-tour-baby.doc

Your ZipTeam--How to pick your team: zipteam.doc

Comments

Join the conversation and post a comment.

Rebekah Emanuel

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February 12, 2012, 10:03PM

Hi team! I'm working on getting this idea from paper (err...pixels) into reality. If you want to be part of the "Go real" team, let me know! We've got a neat set of people working on refining the business model, thinking about getting all the pieces in place, and talking with folks. Its a blast. If you a) know and love designing user interfaces and web-designing b) have thoughts about how the tools (e.g. security policies, pricing etc) should be designed c) have a community that you think would want to seriously pilot it or d) have another idea, just let me know!

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Ashley Jablow's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Ashley Jablow

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March 06, 2012, 07:23PM

Great call out for team members Rebekah! Be sure to keep us posted on your progress by sending updates to hello@openideo.com :)

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Vincent Cheng's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Vincent Cheng

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March 06, 2012, 07:37PM

Awesome, Go Rebekah & "Go Real Team"!

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Rosalyn Benjamin

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February 29, 2012, 11:38PM

I work as a consultant in the cultural and creative industries. We often run workshops in towns or cities where we bring different groups of artists, business minded people and local authority officials. One of the most common discussions we have is the amount of empty spaces all around the town or city (especially over the past few years where the recession has left lots of empty shops on the high street). Inevitably, everyone will turn around and say that the local authority should help them put on temporary exhibitions and pop up shops and shows in unused spaces. This is great in principle but it comes with so many restrictions and bureaucracy significantly slows down the creative process losing the initial vibrancy.

I really like that your idea empowers the creative community itself! Grass roots initiatives like this have a much higher success rate. The networking and sharing of skills and resources you can get out of an initiative like this are invaluable and are what keep the creative industries going.

The implementation sounds like it could work, but the fact that the spaces have multiple owners may complicate things...

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Vincent Crossley

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January 27, 2012, 05:17PM

This is a great idea. I have often thought about how to take advantage of unoccupied storefronts by placing interactive advertisements in them to generate revenue. But your concept takes it to another level by having a significant positive impact on the community :)

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Lindsay Thomson

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January 24, 2012, 02:14AM

I love this idea! One of the things I love most about living in a city is the feeling that things are always growing and evolving. This concept seems like a brilliant way to engage the community and I think this type of smaller scale financial commitment gives local entrepreneurs the opportunity to try their idea out without major risk.

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Rob Levy

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January 12, 2012, 06:32PM

as I keep thinking about this, I wonder if one problem is going to be demand. Detroit and cities like it are full of cheap places to rent for an art gallery. Yes you probably cant do it short term, but its so cheap that I dont imagine this is actually a problem from the consumer side. If anything, the problem in those cities is a glut of housing not a dearth. Now a city like New York, this could really solve a demand-side problem. You dont get all the social benefits you would in Detroit, but you can be sure the demand is real.

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Vincent Cheng's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Vincent Cheng

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January 12, 2012, 06:59PM

Rob, I must admit that I share some of your concerns about supply exceeding demand in places like Detroit, where there's already an abundance of cheap, unoccupied space.

However, I'm optimistic that there are many places around the world (like New York, which you mentioned), where this would make temporary use of spaces more accessible.

In addition, even in economically depressed areas where there is plenty of available, unused retail space, this increased convenience for short-term rentals may unleash some hidden demand.

For example, there's a main street near where I live that's unfortunately experienced increasing vacancies over the past few years (moving away of popular local restaurant after flood damage, bankruptcy of local anchors with outdated business models, etc.), though there's still significant activity/traffic in the area. It'd actually be a perfect place for people to try opening new restaurants, galleries, etc.

However, given the economy, it takes a lot to be willing to look up who owns a vacant property and commit to a relatively long lease. On the other hand, more people would be willing to experiment (and hopefully some would gain the experience/confidence to commit to longer-term occupancy), if there was an easy & cost-reasonable way to try out a space. And for owners of long-term unoccupied space, they'd probably be willing to try this out, if it's easy to setup.

And that's what ZipSpaces can provide!

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Lukas McGowan's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Lukas McGowan

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January 13, 2012, 06:41PM

I think you can also think a little bit bigger on customer base too. Political campaigns at every level (local, state, Federal), are always looking for short term space - and they bring a ton of vibrancy with them (though by nature they shut down when the election is over). Big charities too (I am thinking Race for the Cure, etc., could probably use short term space for prep weeks in advance of their events and for execution on gamedays. These types of organizations could really benefit from consitent, long-term relationships with an outfit like Zipspaces.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:37PM

Rob, Vincent, Lukas: I think this is a really important topic. Rob, I think you are 100% right that there is a clear value proposition for cities like New York where space is at a premium. For cities like Detroit I think ZipSpaces provides something no-one else does, but in a very different way than for NY. For cities like Detroit the challenge is to provide safe spaces to start up business in an atmosphere where there is little available upfront capital and a lower risk tolerance for individuals and businesses, because everything is already so tenuous economically. By allowing daily rentals this allows cities where residents and businesses have little available capital to still be able to rent space and have their businesses go live and to create active street-side commercial spaces. One of the most fun things about this is how there is a strong value proposition for vibrant packed cities, and a totally different value proposition for declining cities who face different challenges. The first is one of space constraints, the second is one of capital constraints.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:40PM

Come to think of it, this provides a great model for how to do the start up phase for ZipSpaces! Because the economic model makes it cheap to scale once ZipSpaces is already set up, it may make sense to start ZipSpaces in a New York where capital and demand are high. This will make it easy to recoup the upfront investment costs of website setup etc, and then in the phase where per-property costs are lower, to spread to spaces like Detroit, where having lower fees and a high percentage going to owners means more. This mixed value proposition then allows the ZipSpaces model to capitalize on what each type of city does best and needs most.

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Vincent Cheng's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Vincent Cheng

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January 18, 2012, 03:09AM

Absolutely agreed Rebekah. And great idea on leveraging regional scale (most of the initial awareness/network effects occurs at the local level) in cities with high demand like New York to recoup startup & ongoing backend costs (which scale across regions), lowering the financial feasibility bar for areas with economic challenges like Detroit!

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Wil Kristin's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Wil Kristin

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January 20, 2012, 05:46AM

Chiming in late in the game to say: 1.) Congratulations on a winning concept! 2.) I could imagine possibly drumming up more demand for ZipSpaces by either assigning proper names for popular venues with relatively high turnover--places where everyone wants to host their events!--and also by developing a product line within ZipSpaces that caters to the spectrum of popular activities for which people would use the spaces. Positioning on price will be important for many, but positioning on convenience (i.e. we'll throw in cleaning services and a functional kitchen) might work well for others. Following a pilot, market segmentation and research can help unlock ways to spark demand.

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Johan Löfström's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Johan Löfström

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January 23, 2012, 05:39PM

Pricing positioning will be adjusted as soon as the vendors walk around and look at eachothers products. And from early customers feedback. Make opportunity for the vendors to discuss and they will help each other to find proper levels of price that suits customers better. (many small scale artisans have this problem knowing what is most appropriate prices)

Vendors in such a market place will spontaneously tutor/assist each other with all sorts of practical, technical advice, about packaging, displaying, other market places to sell their goods... Even strike up collaborations between crafts to create new types of design and items.

Also each independent vendor renting a stall in each ZipSpace will invite their friends and family members and existing customers to this Market place. That results in huge combined consumer group, if many vendors are at same ZipSpace. These customers can easily discover the other vendors items, and causing "overspill" into nearby stalls. And they in turn do word-of-mouth / viral marketing.

Quote: "If you build it, they will come" :)

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Nathan Waterhouse

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January 19, 2012, 10:08PM

Huge congratulations to you Rebekah! I love this idea. Really look forward to seeing what it might become.

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rinelle villareal

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January 14, 2012, 12:42AM

the nugget i like the most of this particular idea is that after all security checks are done on the potential users and the spaces are brought up to rentable conditions - is the ease and accessibility of getting your own zip space to use. whether it is short term or long term - this is a great platform for new ventures and events to use.

looking at it from a growth into global proportions and having one site that allows users to see what's available wherever they are going is simple and quite elegant.

the website could also look into providing a list of suppliers for new users. for example - if an artist is renting a space for a short show but needs materials to set up the space - ZIP could have a list for that particular city of recommended local business and suppliers who can be approached by the users. this serves two purposes - to provide an immediate network of resources for the users and for ZIP to promote local businesses in the area who will appreciate new customers.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:46PM

Rinelle: I love it. What a great way to expand the business lines ZipSpace could provide. Having a diversified set of offerings like this for users would both draw more users to the site and allow the budding community to build a substantial local network where more and more vendors even in different sectors know each other and support each other. Way to really build community.

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Dominic Prestifilippo

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January 12, 2012, 04:32PM

This is a great idea. This service model of shared consumption has the potential to really change society. I would love to see it scaled because just like their is a variety of cars available, spaces come in so many varieties and I would rent a space just to see it!

It could really take the lemonade stand to the next level, potentially enabling craftsmen to easily sell their wares in the community. It also makes me think about recurring events, like art house first fridays and such, where once a month, or weekly there might be a whole block that comes for a night.

That makes me think it could take the idea of a mall turn it sideways in time, so instead of stores being spread, physically, apart in space and all existing at the same time, they could all essentially be contained with the same space only spread through time. On a monday it could be a clothing boutique in the mornings, a shoe store in the afternoon and a bar at night. Then on tuesday a housewares store in the morning a coffee shop at lunch and...you get the idea.

Finally, someone may have already commented (there are so many!) I'm curious about legal issues. Are there antiquated insurance or squatting laws that might make hinder the concept? Is this private and/or public? Here in Philadelphia the Re-Development Authority owns a lot of vacant spaces and it would be great to see them do something like this with them, but when I think government I think red-tape and wonder what could be done to bypass it.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:44PM

Dominic: I love how you link in shared consumption. I think its a really powerful idea that could triple the impact of platforms like this. What a fun idea of turning a mall sideways in time too--made me laugh out loud at my computer screen. How brilliant! What that allows a community to do is get all its needs met, even if there are only a few vendors serving the area, because the same vendors could serve multiple areas (e.g. the hardware store could visit both this street corner and that one in the course of a day). That means that even if some businesses leave the area, others can serve the needs where the gaps emerge, and remaining businesses can dramatically expand the pool of customers they serve. Great idea!

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Samuel Hamner

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January 14, 2012, 01:17AM

First of all, I love this idea. Such a good way to capitalize resources that are going un-used, but making the investment in space more modular and affordable for members of the community! And I believe there are numerous analogous business models (as others have commented) that gives this project a great starting point for creating value for everyone.

One question/idea I have would be foreclosed spaces in declining cities. I believe that many abandoned and unused spaces in Detroit and other cities facing economic decline are foreclusures that are owned by banks. What if ZipSpace could partner with banks and mortgage holding companies that own these foreclosed spaces to use them until they are re-sold? I believe banks would be interested in having the space generate revenue as opposed to remain abandoned. And if we approached a bank with a sort of "ZipSpace makeover in a box" type proposal, they just might be willing to partner.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:31PM

Samuel, I love the ZipSpace in a box idea. Making it modular for cities facing several hundred of these could not only ease their burden but make the model much more successful for areas that are hard-est hit. Perhaps a special web-interface could allow the "in a box" tools to be easy to access and reachable from any location.

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Melanie Kahl

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January 14, 2012, 06:43PM

I like that they keep it relatively straight-forward, using a successful model as a base, but let their programmatic enthusiasm bubble to the top.

Recently, I was doing some work with some local owners of underused/for lease spaces, one of the things I noticed was a gap in "getting it" re: the idea of using it on a one-time basis (for a community potluck, no less!)– worries like insurance, their prospective leasees, and utilities all were expressed.

As such, it would be interesting to get the perspective of real estate and legal ends to provide simple and straightforward education to prospective space-givers. A strong community/city manager team would definitely help this idea come to life.

Love this trend of collaborative consumption hitting all areas. A few startup/theater friends and I have been chatting about concepts like this for space, and I'd love to see it refined through openIDEO. Rock.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:29PM

Melanie--How fun. I really like the idea of getting real estate and legal perspectives. Check out the attachment on the Board of Advisers--there is already a role for legal expertise there, but we should add a real estate position along with city advisers. Thanks for thinking of this!

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Melanie Kahl

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January 14, 2012, 06:46PM

Also... it would be interesting to collect best practice from couch surfing, airbnb, task rabbit, etc re: security and how they integrate reputation checks into their systems. Each one has been slightly different, and this concept sits on the shoulders of some great models– I'd love to see how it could take these checks/balances to the next level and scale.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 17, 2012, 11:27PM

Melanie--I agree! What I've learned from my initial conversations with AirBnB is that they use a wide range of different tools, and each are effective for slightly different populations and challenges. I think the same might apply here, and that task rabbi, couch surfing etc might provide good models. Great thinking.

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Gabrielle

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January 17, 2012, 12:14PM

This is a wonderful idea! I think it has a lot of potential.

Two quick thoughts. (1) How would this be sustainable if the city is indeed revitalized and un-used property, ripe for ZipSpaces, becomes more limited and more highly valued? Would this project not only be able to help with the revitalization effort but also part-take and continue once the city is doing better?

And (2) I think it would be important to carefully brand this business and place it very strategically in neighborhood such that it can draw the enthusiasm of all different cross sections of society.

Again, what a great idea and I would love to see it happen!!

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Rebekah Emanuel

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January 09, 2012, 09:50PM

NAMES! We've had some fun suggestions for other names and a few more I've brainstormed...
1) SpaceShare
2) YourSpace
3) MyCornerSpace
4) SpacesAlive
5) ZipSpaces

What are other options you like? I'll gather ideas then see what is most popular, and we can re-name it something fun.

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Benjamin Singer's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Benjamin Singer

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January 09, 2012, 09:58PM

How about MySpace? :P

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Johan Löfström's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Johan Löfström

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January 11, 2012, 09:03PM

I think other words that you might want to add to the brainstorming-mix is "Market" because the concept is modern version of all the Street markets for instance in London.

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Melanie Kahl's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Melanie Kahl

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January 14, 2012, 06:48PM

I don't know if the name is in that list yet, Rebekah – but it is a fun exercise to think of new, original names. *goes into ponder mode

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Sine Ringgaard Jørgensen's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Sine Ringgaard Jørgensen

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January 17, 2012, 11:31AM

BuildSpace

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Meena Kadri

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January 12, 2012, 06:34AM

Really great updates, Rebekah – fab work on pulling it all together in fine style!

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Ari Hart

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January 12, 2012, 12:06AM

Love this model!! It makes so much sense yet I never would have thought of it. Can totally see it working and being awesome. Question - Zipcar has some clever ways to ensure that you return your car on time/don't trash it. Have you thought about any policies to make sure that people don't abuse the spaces, or can be held accountable if they do?

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Ben Irey

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January 11, 2012, 08:25PM

I think this is a great example of addressing the issue by using a "broken windows" theory of crime or community degradation. For those unfamiliar with the theory, it basically says that an area with broken windows or rundown buildings sends an unconscious signal to residents that committing crimes like breaking windows in this area goes unpunished and it is therefore ok to commit other, larger crimes. And from there it is a feedback loop that results in higher and higher crime rates.

This idea fixes the "broken windows" by filling them with new products and new businesses temporarily while a more permanent solution is found. Broken windows are then gone, and the community resists the urge to dive further into decline. I think this concept is a very simple and elegant way to make incremental and steady improvements to a city or metro area.

I think this has the potential to organically develop certain types of business districts within a city. You might find that in one area, everyone wants to use the open spaces for music venues and, after awhile, that area of the city is known as the music district. Same with food, education, etc. There are plenty of cities that create these districts artificially by using zoning codes or tax breaks, but this could result in a more ground-up city organization instead of a top-down model.

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Molly Lindsay

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January 11, 2012, 07:03PM

LOVE this. #1 because in my experience as Someone Trying to do Cool Things in Cities, space is always a problem -- do do a workshop, have a concert, do a fundraiser, put up an exhibitions, make school kids' work public, etc.

On that note -- could there be explicit links to schools? I worked with one school that built a gallery in the school to show kids work, could schools use these spaces? for kids' work, for kids' shows, for any interactive school-community stuff? For individual classes' work / projects, maybe, not just schoolwide?

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Dan Schier

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December 09, 2011, 02:23AM

Great concept. I've seen it done on a much smaller scale in New Haven, where I currently live. Another added twist on the idea may be charging rents based on revenues or profits of the business or group. That would allow some startups room to grow and would be a win-win if space would otherwise go unused.

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Nicholas Russell's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Nicholas Russell

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January 09, 2012, 02:45PM

To echo Dan, Central London has seen a lot of pop-up stores since 2008. Vacant store-fronts are both a drag economically (not producing employment, not generating tax revenue), as well as aesthetically and socially.

Also, there was a shift in tax law around the same time. Previously, landlords did not pay tax on vacant commercial space. With this change, landlords became liable for tax regardless of the state of the property.

Further, negotiating for commercial leases tends to take a manner of months. Thus, there have been deals made whereby a pop-up shop pays 'rent' equivalent to the tax on the commercial space and in return has a short-term lease whilst the landlord seeks a permanent tenancy.

It's been a winning concept for a variety of stakeholders:
1) Tax liability on landlords is reduced.
2) Entrepreneurs receive favourable rates in prime locations to test a retail concept.
3) Retail areas are filled with shops instead of "Vacancy" signs

This process has been working exceptionally well in Soho/Seven Dials/Covent Garden, where each has seen a raft of pop-up businesses catering to each micro-area.

In Seven Dials, there have been a steady march of design-oriented shops and ephemeral fashion boutiques.

One key aspect of the trend has been turnkey repurposing of the space. Retail boutiques in Seven Dials become pop-up boutiques. Restaurants in Soho become pop-up restaurants; thus the recycling of the space itself and minimal outlay of new investment. Franny's Pop-Up in Soho was a great example: http://www.thrillist.com/eat/food-dining/2010/11/08/franny's-pop-up

Finally, one of the big issues of these spaces was access to infrastructure-based services requiring a legitimate business -- like credit card transaction processing. With companies like Square providing that infrastructure, there is little doubt that the pop-up store culture can be scaled in many, many cities regardless of size.

The model is effectively augmenting long-term retail tenancy with short-term interlopers keen on testing the market.

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Nicholas Russell's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Nicholas Russell

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January 11, 2012, 06:49AM

This came across yesterday: http://www.popuphood.com/

It's a project in Oakland mobilising vacant spaces for pop-up retail and may indicate a model that can be used in an exemplar capacity.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:13PM

Nicholas, this is great. It looks like they also have additional consulting services on the side--neat idea!

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Sherri 's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Sherri

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January 11, 2012, 05:16PM

Could there be another payment option if someone does not have a credit card? I think paypal operates with a checking account so that would be another option. I'm still wondering about certain clientele who don't have all these services. Other ideas? I liked the above idea of possibly paying through future sales of the business if it's a start up; or if there's a 'cover charge' or fees for consumers- a % could go towards rent.

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Sara

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January 11, 2012, 04:58PM

Love the concept - wonder if Zipcar will be unhappy about someone else using such a similar name.

Reminds me of the temporary stores/art galleries that have been popping up in vacant storefronts in DC - would be great to scale it!

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Ken Endo

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January 11, 2012, 03:55PM

I just encountered this idea and would love to see this happen in my community as well.

my friend is trying to revive our hometown by using internet.
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/Dr-Seton/20101113133932
We can see a lot of abandoned stores with posters saying "tenant wanted". My friend's idea is to post these to online and find tenant and his employee all over the world. This would involve local community as well as community from other locations.

another idea is to invite company which related to local industry, which make local stronger.

anyway, I just found this and will let my friend know your idea. thanks,

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Tamar

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January 06, 2012, 10:27PM

As others have mentioned, this is a great concept and I look forward to learning more about the execution.

Regarding the questions of city ordinances (especially zoning), as well as marketing, I'd like to see how certain storefronts (or blocks of storefronts) could be aligned with certain business types. For example, Space A could be designated for restaurant/food businesses only. That way as the occupants changed, locals would always know that there would be something food-related. Associating particular storefronts with certain kinds of businesses or services would reinforce the neighborhood's structure.

It was mentioned below that a Zip Car is always a car. And by using that model it would be nice to provide some feeling of consistency, reliability, and predictability to avoid the alienation that could be caused by an ever-rotating set of businesses. Restoring vibrancy to these areas could also be linked with building a new sense of place and neighborhood, something that often gets lost as economic depression and vacancies set in.

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Carla 's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Carla

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January 09, 2012, 07:01AM

I like your idea of designating spaces by business type - this helps consumers locate products and services, and means that new businesses don't have to start their marketing from scratch. Could a portion of rent go towards advertising linked to the space that can be easily and cheaply rotated with each new renter?

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:32PM

Tamar, Carla: What fun ideas! I love the idea of "lets go down the block: wonder what restaurant is there this week"--People could begin to get to know certain spaces as awesome music places, or other areas where film shoots are often being set up. The space owners could also tailor the space to these needs, and then renters would walk into a space that was more set up for their activity. Serendipity and branding...mixed!

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Sherri 's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Sherri

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January 11, 2012, 03:24PM

This could also cut way down on costs for the renters, love love love! Minimal advertising for a specific display/business and minimal set up to cater to their individual needs. (restaurant would already have a kitchen and connection to utilities, art studio might have certain lighting and layout.

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Meena Kadri

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December 07, 2011, 08:42PM

Great build on the innovative Zip Car model. We're looking forward to discussion on this one!

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Ranyee Chiang's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Ranyee Chiang

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January 07, 2012, 09:40PM

I'm seeing a lot of opportunities for combining this concept with some of the other final concepts. I'm thinking about the Lemonade concept to connect entrepreneurs with students and give them opportunities to try out their ideas (http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/when-life-hands-you-lessons-make-lemonade-entrepreneur-in-residence/). The ZipSpace model would be a perfect way to provide young entrepreneurs-in-training a way to get real experience.

Also, the concept to use unused real estate to attract start-ups is quite related (http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/attracting-start-ups/).

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Paul Reader's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Paul Reader

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January 08, 2012, 05:31AM

Good thinking Ranyee - would be good if the OpenIDEO platform had somewhere to accommodate collaborative amalgamation of these concepts during the concepting and refinement phases.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:43PM

Ranyee, Paul: I agree! I think many of the zoning ideas are closely related too. And BuyLocal could be a great complementary platform. It would be awesome to create 'joint-projects' where instead of just one person curating refinements it becomes a team where ideas come together into a larger streamlined start-up.

Ranyee: I love the idea of it being a training ground for students. Maybe there could be special student membership, and free usage by vocational and other schools.

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Sherri 's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Sherri

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January 11, 2012, 03:17PM

Really loving this concept especially one that caters to a lower income population- students and migrant workers for example. Noting the fees needed, I'd love to see a scale or through donations to make this especially affordable to people who can't afford to rent longer-term space. Would the spaces be available 24/7/365? Really great concept!

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Susmita De

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December 09, 2011, 04:48PM

Really like this concept - and as Gena mentioned below, really liked how the pop-up art spaces worked in Chicago. I wonder though, how we could maybe expand this concept from not only targeting art and cultural events, but to also see how small retail businesses could be incorporated in this. For example, maybe its a small company that's only had an online presence, or to serve as a "pilot" store for fledgling businesses that want a trial run at their store operations?

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:54PM

Susmita--great idea! They've been doing some similar stuff in London and it seems to be working incredibly well. This could help make markets smoother as well, allowing small retail chains to make low investment forays into new ways of accessing customers.

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Sean Jalleh

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December 17, 2011, 05:46AM

I really love this concept! If there was a way of having some form of dynamic pricing that takes into account the supply of available spaces in a zone, the type of businesses that are currently renting in your zone (get companies that are interdependent?), the recent demand in the zone, drawbacks of the zone, etc so that people can make more informed decisions about their desired space, i think it will be helpful.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:52PM

Sean: I love this! We could both make the pricing dependent on these ratings and have a space where each of these components are described (area, demand in the zone etc) before renting (like info on the car before you Zip it), and then an interactive Yelp! like feature where past users offer insights and modify the ratings of the area etc, building off Catherine's idea. Then as more and more people "like" an area that can feed into what users see and potential market-responsive pricing.

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Carla

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January 09, 2012, 06:36AM

I'm struggling to understand what the management structure of these spaces would look like. For example, if rent is a % of revenue, would it change weekly? Monthly? Does this require a minimum rent period? Who would keep track of revenue of the renters and how? The system would be different for shared use of the space than if a single vendor were to use it...hmmm...

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:38PM

Carla, great questions! I've updated the post to outline possible revenue models. I suspect that the best option may be a ZipCar / AirBnB like pricing model where different locations have different prices per day, just as you pay more to rent a Ferrari versus a Honda. There could be an initial set of points that determines what your place rents for, taking into account desirability of location, posh-ness and accoutrements of the space, etc. Then as groups begin to use it, and algorithim can adjust the price up to down responding to market demand, within parameters set by the owners (e.g owners say "I'm interesting in renting if it is above this price but not below") This same pricing model could be used either with a split profit sharing model or a more traditional model. The website would state prices for useage, and these would be charged via an automated paypal like system, directly routing money to the recipients.

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Chelsea P

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January 11, 2012, 11:19AM

Another idea to consider is mixing high-income businesses-- perhaps those that have had successful pop-ups before, or those with main locations elsewhere-- and untested start-ups, varying the rental fee accordingly. Profits from the high-income businesses could feed back into the program, supporting newcomers. This would be a little like mixed commercial/residential cooperative housing, in which the rent from high-income businesses supports low-income housing. (An example in London is Coin Street Community Builders: http://www.coinstreet.org/developments/coinstreetneighbourhoodcentre.html)

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 11, 2012, 02:16PM

Chelsea, What a fun idea. One thing you are raising here is how different revenue models could work to allow entry to a wide variety of different users. I love this model for supporting newcomers. I imagine there are several different revenue models that could a) foster mutual support between users b) broaden the base of those able to access the service. Neat. Really got the wheels turning!

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Chelsea P

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January 11, 2012, 11:15AM

This idea is fantastic. I echo Nicholas Russell's comments about the popularity of pop-up spaces for artists and small businesses in London. One great thing about these spaces is that their temporariness appears to add a lot to their allure-- openings are hyped online for months, but pop-ups are only open for a few weeks, bringing crowds of people who don't want to miss out on the limited opportunity to visit. Visitors leave pop-ups more familiar with the artists/businesses and more likely to buy from them online or visit their next venture. I imagine that this helps artists and small businesses compete with much bigger, permanent institutions.

As Rob Levy stated, liability could be an issue here, so perhaps your project team should include a lawyer. (Note: the following isn't legal advice.) Car and cycle share programs use fleets of new vehicles, but you wouldn't be starting out with a clean slate with abandoned properties. You'd have to be careful to renovate/maintain them to the appropriate legal standard. In addition, car and cycle share companies own their vehicles. You don't want to have to deal with dozens of owners and a constant stream of tenants, who have legal duties to one another-- so ZipSpaces may want to consider having a uniform legal relationship to all its spaces.

Reaching out to law firms (and building services firms) for pro bono assistance could be a nice way to get the community involved, at a low cost to ZipSpaces.

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Scott

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January 11, 2012, 01:06AM

Cool idea!

Question about ownership: is the implication that the city purchases / takes over these unused, shuttered, or abandoned properties? Or could there be a way for the owners to hang on to the properties but lease them out to ZipSpace for some small return? (Behind the question: does the city really want to own all these properties? The owners would still have a vested interest in selling the properties, once the logistics for that are worked out per the comments below, but could earn at least a bit of revenue in the interim...)

Another organization to look at, modeled off of Air BnB, that I recently came across: Parking Panda.

Exciting!

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Nancy Meyer

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January 11, 2012, 01:06AM

I think this is a great idea! Some former colleagues of mine at a small economic development nonprofit are instituting similar work in Indianapolis, only on a small scale. For example, they have a yoga studio squatting in vacant retail space that is for sale along a developing business corridor.

Some rambling thoughts that come to mind…first of all, not all commercial spaces are made equal. Some vacant properties would likely need a basic overhaul just to get them in shape to rent out. Often commercial properties are owned by private companies or individuals who are waiting for a good opportunity to sell, so those spaces are usually not in great shape. Would it be on the owner to make any repairs to get the space rentable? And what about abandoned properties – who would cover those upfront costs? You could potentially recruit developers with a long-term strategy to take on those sorts of issues.

To what extent do you think zoning could be an issue? Would the spaces only be available for certain types of activities – and how would that be monitored?

On the other side of the equation, to whom would you market the space - only organizations, or individuals? I could see individuals hosting parties, weddings, special events also being interested in these types of spaces.

Well, I love the idea – it really makes my mind go to work and has so many possibilities!!

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Benjamin Singer

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January 09, 2012, 09:14PM

Wow! I really see a need for this on both the city's end and possibly even more on the entrepreneur's side of things. I can see this taking off very quickly.

A few questions:
1. Who maintains the property if it's abandoned?
2. Who sets the prices for properties, considering some locations are more valuable than others?
3. What if people sleep in the commercial spaces after renting them? Is that allowed? If not, how is that enforced?
4. Who pays for insurance?
5. Does ZipSpace hold the money (and maybe a deposit) until after the first week of rental is complete, in case the space is not as advertised?
6. The name ZipCar works because Zip implies fast. I think SpaceShare would work better with what the concept is...

I'll share more as I think of them!

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 09, 2012, 09:46PM

Benjamin, Great thoughts and questions. I'm talking with ZipCar and AirBnB soon so hopefully should have more thoughts on how they've worked out security, deposits and prices and what is working for them / is not. Let me know if there are other models you think could be neat inspirations.

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Benjamin Singer's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Benjamin Singer

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January 09, 2012, 10:00PM

AirBnB is exactly what I was thinking about!

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Meena Kadri's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Meena Kadri

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January 10, 2012, 10:32PM

Nice one, Rebekah. Hope you'll find time to update your actual post with your fresh insights & ideas before Evaluation starts tomorrow!

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Rob Levy

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January 10, 2012, 03:04AM

This is a truly fascinating idea that essentially formalizes "squatting" of commercial spaces. Love it!

I'm a bit concerned about insurance and liability issues, but I guess if ZipCar can figure that out, ZipSpace can. There are a lot of upfront technology and capital costs, so quick scale will be important. I wonder if a partnership with ZipCar is possible (especially if you actually use their naming style :).

My big suggestion is why limit this to art galleries and arts organizations? There are a ton of nonprofits that could probably use cheap space for a short period of time for fundraisers, special events, social justice campaigns, even religious services.

Good luck!

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Alessia Bellon's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Alessia Bellon

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January 10, 2012, 01:13PM

Totally agree about the suggetion to open it to several types of organizations.

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Sarah Beller's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Sarah Beller

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January 10, 2012, 07:32PM

good call.

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Sarah Beller

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January 10, 2012, 07:30PM

This is a great idea. One question: would landlord-tenant law apply?

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Nathan

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January 10, 2012, 05:59PM

This is a really good idea with a lot of potential. I wonder how many of these spaces will be in parts of the cities that art galeries and the like would want to be in? Maybe you could team the project up with HUD (at least for the US cities) and concentrate in revitalization areas? Also, maybe you could team up with banks who have taken over properties, and use those buildings, and the bank could write that off for tax purposes?

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Becca Linden

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January 10, 2012, 02:15AM

Gena's use of "checked out" makes me think of libraries - a library of spaces! Perhaps this could be administered by the library system? Such a brilliant idea on so many levels Bekah! So easy to build and dream off of...

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Gena Larson

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December 09, 2011, 03:08PM

I like the idea that the spaces can be easily "checked out" by anyone within the community. I live in Chicago, and we have pop-up art spaces, but it is unclear to the public how one would go about getting involved. I think its great to open up the platform and encourage collaboration outside the arts community.

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Megan Campbell's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Megan Campbell

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December 09, 2011, 07:54PM

Great idea Rebekah! And I agree Gena, I think it would be great to expand the concept so that general community members can use Zipspaces as well. The website Rebekah's suggesting could incorporate this pretty easily I think, in the way that the Zipcar site has different tabs for businesses and for the general public. And I think it would help to include some sort of space classification - so for example people would know that a 'Dinner party Zipspace' has a kitchen and a enough room to host a larger party than I could in my home. It might help the public visualize how they could use a space.

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T. Annie Nguyen's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

T. Annie Nguyen

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January 09, 2012, 07:50AM

To go off Gena's comment, here's the link to Chicago's Pop-Up Art Loop: http://www.popupartloop.com/. On their website, they list what is currently happening and map, but it could definitely be expanded to all different types of areas that others have mentioned. Hope this helps!

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Whitney Quesenbery's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Whitney Quesenbery

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January 09, 2012, 02:31PM

I love the idea of popup spaces. Besides some of the obvious values, it adds a degree of serendipity to traveling around the city.

A website is important, but will the spaces need more visibility in the neighborhood? Could they be featured in project like Buy Local/Connect Locally? Have special signs that are easy to create and update at intersections near the space?

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 09, 2012, 04:13PM

Whitney, I love how these ideas can synergize off each other. Great idea!

Annie, what if ZipSpaces had their own profiles on BuyLocal? There could be an easy to customize template for pop-up businesses that business could set up in a short amount of time, with a special "pop-up" tag. That way people could get special pop-up points, and see direct to their feed what was popping up near them.

Maybe pop-ups could be an early way of being responsive to customer data-- pop-ups could figure out what locale to pick a ZipSpace in based on the customer trends and data collected by BuyLocal.

Cool synergies guys!

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T. Annie Nguyen's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

T. Annie Nguyen

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January 10, 2012, 01:10AM

Featuring Zipspaces on a platform on Buy Locally can definitely be incorporated and featured. A local pop-up is a great way to support the seasonal activities and find out the best place to grow in the community!

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abby bellows

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January 09, 2012, 10:20PM

great idea! As someone who has seen lots of abandoned properties in the outer boroughs of New York City, I think this is an idea that could definitely be brought to other cities. What I most appreciate is that it utilizes existing resources (space) that hasn't yet been made available to those looking for temporary venues, connecting demand to supply. Perhaps even congregations could use these spaces on occasion or weekly to provide a reliable source of funding to start with.

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Benjamin Singer's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Benjamin Singer

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January 09, 2012, 11:28PM

I definitely see a need for this for congregations, as well as for film shoots.

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David Slusky

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January 09, 2012, 09:13PM

I think it is a great idea. I have three suggestions/concerns:

1) Organizations who are doing this are going to have storage needs. So perhaps part of the spaces can be made into storage units ao that groups can leave their stuff their. Not all will want this, but bundling the two services could be very helpful to some.

2) It is unclear to me you'll be able to match up investment/renovation costs and rental fees. Unlike cars, which are relatively homogenous, spaces aren't (e.g. retail/office/meeting/performance/recreation). So an owners' up from investment might not be able to make the space versatile enough to generate enough interest to provide an adequate return.

3) I see a shortage of attractive properties for this. You really want ones that are vacant but near occupied properties. There isn't going to be much demand to short term rent a vacant property in an abandoned area, especially because the interested organization could probably get the space longer term for not much more

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Sarah Greenberg

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January 09, 2012, 08:20PM

What a brilliant idea! It seems to me that ZipSpaces could create many economic and cultural opportunities in a city desperately in need of revitalization.

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Rebekah Emanuel

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January 09, 2012, 07:12PM

Hi team! I'm going to have a conversation with ZipCars to ask them a little more about their business model and areas where they may have insights. Any ideas you'd like me to bounce off them or questions that would be good to pose for their insights?

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Meena Kadri's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Meena Kadri

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January 09, 2012, 08:02PM

Great stuff, Rebekah! Questions about trust, security & spreading the word might all be relevant avenues to gain insight on.

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Crispin Smith

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January 09, 2012, 04:09PM

I love this idea. I love the idea of an entrepreneur being able to test a business idea or the possibility for an artist to put on a show.

I think the comments about using spaces for designated uses (a place with a kitchen for a restaurant, a stage for shows, etc...) makes a lot of sense but at the same time I would hate to see city ordinances and planning bylaws stifle the creativity made possible by this wonderful idea. As an urban planner, I think planning policies are generally very limiting and to put further restrictions on the uses of space could be counter-productive.

The other suggestion I had would be to give property owners options in terms of how much of their space to give up for use. In some cases building owners might not be so eager to completely open up their properties to strangers. The option of allowing people to use just the storefront, or even just the display cases would encourage more reluctant owners to participate in the program and help win them over to the idea, while improving the streetscape.

Wonderful idea, congratulations and good luck.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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January 09, 2012, 07:11PM

Crispin, what a great idea. What if, like on Craigslist, there were tabs for different kinds of spaces you could use (a whole store, classrooms, cooking space, display cases) then users could click on the type of facility they wanted to use. Then as more types of spaces became available, additional tabs could be added.

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Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka

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January 09, 2012, 04:06AM

Some other spaces like roof tops can be used for gardens. The a place for growing food crops and also conducting cultural events, meetings, workshops, etc.

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Jessica Rudder

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January 09, 2012, 03:51AM

As you mentioned in the brief, I think it will be critical to address the potential effect on local rent prices. If the city has any revenue that's based on rents, they may resist competition that could force rents lower. Even if the city's income is not affected by rents (e.g. they get a percentage of the property value regardless of rents) they could still potentially be influenced by constituents in the area that are unhappy with increased competition for commercial space.

It's possible regular commercial property and ZipSpaces could co-exist without any complaints since they would not likely be targeting the same renters. ZipSpaces would be rented by people who want a space for an evening or a couple of weeks, not long term renters. Perhaps you could even get owners of adjacent commercial property to support the idea since the ZipSpace would be kept up (unlike many abandoned properties) and the increased foot traffic coming to the short-term shops and events in the ZipSpace would likely spill over into other businesses in the area.

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Benjamin Epstein

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December 09, 2011, 08:45AM

Cool! Lots of great things have been said about it. Question: So this is a way to used storefronts that have gone unrented for a long time. This is different from ZipCar in that with ZipCars, the cars are 100% ZipCar. You can't buy the car. With these spaces, however, it seems like if someone wanted to move a store in long-term, the city would much prefer that. How would the city manage this? The negotiation, and the transition from a ZipSpace to a non-ZipSpace? I suppose if this is on a weekly basis, it wouldn't be too hard to just shut down taking new applications for the space or whatever, of course. But things like the door mechanism would have to be dealt with, for instance.

Not convinced it's not doable - just bringing up another aspect!

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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December 13, 2011, 05:31AM

Benjamin: I really like this idea. This suggests 3 things: 1) The staff should also include capacity for "selling" or "leasing" a ZipSpace to a long term owner and 2) Door mechanisms and other items installed in the space should be easily removeable and reusable for other spaces 3) The pricing should be set such that there is a benefit for long term users to rent or buy long term rather than doing it weekly permanently.

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Ranyee Chiang's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Ranyee Chiang

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January 07, 2012, 09:32PM

I had the same question as Benjamin when reading about this concept. In addition to helping businesses test out ideas and generate buzz, I think it's really important to think about how this concept can lead to long-term and sustainable economic development.

I was thinking about the comparison to leasing cars to eventually own them. I'm imagining that if ZipSpace is active, it will be tough to have someone stay on long-term when other people have signed up for the space. But maybe there's a way for ZipSpacers, who have successfully tested and generated buzz for a new business, to be fast tracked to have a long term lease starting at a later date, or with other unused storefronts. Or maybe some fraction of rent paid for short-term use can be applied to starting a long-term lease.

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Catherine Muller

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January 06, 2012, 07:14PM

This is definitely an intriguing concept in its potential to generate vibrancy, stimulate local economies, and foster community building. It's a nice, a-la-carte mechanism for property owners to generate short-term/infill rental revenue (and perhaps greater visibility for longer term potential tenants).

I also get pretty excited imagining the range of rich and diverse users of these kinds of temporary-use spaces: produce/farmer's markets, gallery/artist exhibitions, shared commercial kitchens for small food businesses (such as http://bit.ly/bkdZ2C), wellness classes (yoga, meditation, cooking), or so many 'pop-up' offerings, from massage to libraries (building off of http://bit.ly/vdBnXP).

The idea of a companion user-generated/augmented social network is also a powerful community-building tool: users can check in (a la foursquare or Facebook), comment, rate the service or retail in the space, and spread the word about deals and events in real time (think of a more elegantly designed and scalable Yelp). Once established, the network becomes a self-propegating marketing tool for ZipSpaces. In the start-up phase, I’d think you’d want to put out feelers/survey residents locally to understand the community’s view of what services/retail/cultural offerings are most lacking in the neighborhood.

From a structure and cost perspective, I’ll echo others’ comments about building in flexibility to the system from the onset: determining rents on a sliding scale (% of revenue), and allowing for ‘co-op’-ing space and time, leveraging shared resources (payment and inventory systems) as much as possible. Good stuff! I look forward to participating in refinement...

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January 05, 2012, 09:42PM

Hi Rebekah, nice job on this Top 20 concept! The advisory panel really enjoyed that these events could celebrate arts, culture and local businesses while connecting community members in a lively way. In Refinement, let's consider how to build on this concept and explore questions of funding, marketing and even city ordinances to make sure these zipspaces are compliant. Also, what might we learn from service models like AirBNB to support the comprehensive backend of a concept like this?

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Johan Löfström

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December 28, 2011, 10:44PM

Hi, I just added this little idea as comment to another concept, but Vincent thought it could be applied also to Zipspaces. so feel free to use it if you like it, or I can try to make a standalone concept out of it, if I can make the time before next deadline:

I am thinking about a sort of Time-share version that could add to these types of market concepts. Hear me out and let me know if you feel it appropriate to add to your concept, or if we should start a new concept of this single idea!

One independent seller (of whatever type of product/design/handicrafts) want to be active on this market, but want to pay as little rent as possible, and cannot really be at the market to represent his/hers products all the business hours every day of the week. If we team up sellers in groups, and make them share a space. They create schedule, so there are at least 2-3 representatives present at the market, responsible to talk about the products for all of the indy-artisans within this group. They are not being restricted to be at the market every morning to pack up their stuff, and to stay until closing every night. Getting some time away from market but their items yet present all market hours. And saving some time on stall rent.

(groups made randomly to create more discussion and creative exchange, or matched & themed to their respective styles to make some sense to the customers)

(the other similar concept is http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/collaborative-consumption-in-a-repurposed-carpark )

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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December 29, 2011, 06:59AM

Johan: This is great! I really like the idea, and I think they jive really well. Perhaps the same ZipSpaces website could have a related page that allowed vendors to sign up for slots in ZipSpaces to share their wares. There could be spots where any vendor could sign up as well as interest-specific slots (e.g. for music-related products and vendors only.) Each vendor could be required to be the "representative sales person" for x hour per every y hours they show their wares, and sign up for that slot before being allowed to sign up for slots where others are the designated representative. There could also be "set up" and "clean up" slots. to allow vendors not to have to move their wares in and out everyday, certain ZipSpaces could be designated "ZipFair"-friendly so that artisans could store their products each night for the period it was reserved for. There would need to be a way for vendors to keep track of inventory and money taken in each day, so perhaps the website could have an internal component where at the open and close of each shift, people register the changes in inventory. Of course if a sales rep gets complaints, they could be blocked from the service (similar to ZipSpaces screening and history.) (A franchise model here might also be useful to reduce complaints, harder at start-up, but worth looking into if it mitigated risk.) I think the resulting scene could be great--a pop-up exhibition of handmade soap makers, a new group of high schoolers who want to sell beatboxing lessons. Brilliant idea! I love how opensource models can build on each other and be linked. The vibrancy could really snowball, with one model adding to the others success.

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Johan Löfström's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Johan Löfström

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December 29, 2011, 12:07PM

Thanks for your response. I was thinking that the independent vendors should team up in smaller groups because of that trust issue. And to not require a huge internet infrastructure to administer all economics.

If you get to know the little group of persons that are becoming part-responsible for selling your items, you will be able to know eachothers products and methods and inspiration very well, and become wellinformed seller when customers come and inquire about your friends items.

If trying to go too large scale of this, and perhaps employing a salesperson unrelated to the vendors products, you will not give a good enough experience for prospective customers.

So a small group of 4-8 persons can handle one shared cash register, and at evenings they can send out short reports (email/text message) to the vendors that were not at the market that day.

But as I write this, I recall there is probably a smart way to streamline this and do a low-tech version, with a common checkout cash register on the way out from the ZipSpace-market. Like a grocery store. Imagine the different meat and fish counters, the customers order desired amounts, a vendor behind the counter can pack the product, and write a mark on the cover-paper with the cost and ID-nr of the producer, so the cashier at the checkout line can charge correct amount of dollars, and register the sum into the correct producers ID-nr.

this will give the "fish-vendor" time to make a note of the sale, (because he/she doesn't have to handle the money) so it is possible to send a text-message to respective producer right away, (or in the evening, as happy news of the successful sale) (every vendor does get relieved of haveing to organize and maintain their own register and lots of exchange cash, I know what a headache this can be, standing on a market and running out of change, or forgetting to register each purchase)

Gives opportunity to customers to pay with VISA-card or paypal or whatever at the check out counter, (only one cost for that equipment in the whole zipspace) (is very expensive for independent vendors to have)

If you by any chance do not understand my rant, I will be glad to explain it further in detail my thoughts, and perhaps someone else can join to fine-tune how the methods and process could become even better shopping experience and reduce costs for infrastructure further.

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Rebekah Emanuel

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December 29, 2011, 06:48AM

Ooo: Campbell: Great idea! I really like it. Perhaps there could be a voucher for charrettes, that allows them to be free, or city subsidized, so that the city helps promote charrettes and increased involvement etc, and also gives them more guidance and information, open-source style. I'm thinking about who would spear-head organization and if it would also be open-source or if you'd want a few centralized coordinators.

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Campbell Frey

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December 29, 2011, 05:18AM

Great idea for use of space. I used the ZipCar model in an academic project as a way for retirement community members to build relationships through grocery shopping, running errands, coordinating group activities etc. When applied to the built environment, I thought your concept would fit very well with the idea of design charrettes mixed with community activism. Each week a different venue hosts a charrette and publishes the ideas online. Some weeks have themes, others are completely open to participant suggestions.

For example... Week 1: On saturday morning, ____________ location will be hosting a charrette, open to all, that addresses the transportation needs of the community. It will be open from 10am - 3pm with snacks and creative ideas.
Week 2: Sunday afternoon the old "Barnside Theater" will be hosting a charrette to address the abandoned space. Come walk the neighborhood, experience the once-dusty theater and give your thoughts on what this space might become and what does this neighborhood need...

The host spaces could be vacant and looking for owners, or well established spaces looking to help build their surrounding neighborhood. ZipSpaces could definitely help current owners make next months mortgage, but it can also draw people to areas that otherwise don't get visited. Micro-tourism? Start-Up location hunt? Because charrettes tend to produce visual byproducts, results could be made readily available to city councils, local governance that can help facilitate growth.

I'll stop there, but you got me going! BOOM!

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Vincent Cheng

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December 07, 2011, 02:15PM

Interesting Rebekah! While we're on the analogies, this would be the "Airbnb of commercial spaces", working for underutilized (say a bar/club only open at night), as well as vacant spaces.

Along those lines, may also want to to have some insurance for covering temporary renter damages, as Airbnb found it needed after some horror stories.

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Rebekah Emanuel's reply to Rebekah Emanuel's comment

Rebekah Emanuel

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December 13, 2011, 05:41AM

Vincent: Good call. I think both renter insurance and the type of "screening" that ZipCar does would be appropriate. ZipCar checks for a clean driving record with no DUIs; I think the analogy would be checking for a criminal record. Since we would not want to block creative ideas of people getting back on their feet there would be a waiver system for people involved in a "jump-start-your-life" style program, or a "buddy insurance" system like they use in micro-finance.

Your idea made me think of another one: There will be work involved 1) making the spaces nice enough to rent and 2) maintaining the spaces when things break. Vocational school students could get job training and early employment via setting up and fixing up these spaces.

This could dovetail with "small business" training students receive: Students are trained in running a small business, and then have to set one up in pop up spaces within a limited time frame and compete on the most successful "real life" business. That way there are not only spaces for entrepreneurs but a new class of entrepreneurs being trained who have concrete experience they can refer back to of personally bringing a project to "profit and loss" fruition.

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Lauren Marino

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December 13, 2011, 04:51AM

Love, love, love this idea. I like what you mention at the end about building out a social media strategy around the space. Wouldn't it be cool, beyond extending spaces to fledgling businesses or cultural groups, if you were able to actually CREATE a community that's looking to support local initiatives? A robust social media strategy could help you achieve just that.

I am also excited about the idea of having global access to all spaces. Think of the all the possibilities - traveling art exhibits, musicians, theater, vendors of all kinds. Do you know - is the Zipcar model designed to be global? If so, what challenges did they face, and how might those apply to this idea?

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Jeroen Spoelstra

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December 09, 2011, 05:30PM

What a great concept! I also see opportunities to expand this concept. What about small scale farmers who can rent ZipSpaces for a short period of time after harvesting?

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Becca Linden

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December 08, 2011, 11:15PM

Especially insightful that the space should go to the arts - as we often see that where artists go raised property values go soon after... I wonder if these spaces could also go specifically to neighborhood residents (who may or may not be artists) - to support other kinds of start-up microbusinesses...

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Meghan Dufresne

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December 08, 2011, 10:20PM

This is a great idea, and would be a great way to gauge the wants and needs of the people in the area; especially if it were used to display ideas and themes and you asked for feedback from the local community. Although the idea of this constantly changing environment intrigues me very much, this could also lead to ideas for future developments down the road.

Currently I'm working on repurposing an abandoned subway tunnel in the center of Boston. The communities around are very excited about the possibility of having a unique underground city in space that just lays barren. Many people are interested in seeing and exploring this space first hand since it is historic and it has been featured on television. ZipSpaces might be an interesting concept to tie into this.

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