Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb

Parade Prep

Parade Prep, originally uploaded by johnruexp.

What a beautiful day.

On my way to the library to set up yet another remote office (this time on the little outdoor deck, where I am right now), I met some forward-thinking Franklinites who are already setting up for tomorrow's 4th of July parade. They're getting a TENT up right now, and invited me to stop by tomorrow for bloody marys.

I will probably take them up on that.

But, once again, I'm reminded that the Franklin Library's barren and broad front lawn could sure use a coffee shop and/or public courtyard.

Fountains of Franklin: No tenants, but looking to build. Here's a suggestion -

(Image above from Cooltown Studios)

Let me make a (in light of my current situation, rather selfish) suggestion to the developers of Fountains of Franklin: TWO STORY BUILDINGS with co-working spaces up top - - WiFi, phones, electric, desks and chairs - - that collect nominal monthly/weekly/daily "user fees" whether or not the commercial spaces below are leased. Maybe a handy FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Center moves in. Starbucks loves these gatherings of coffee-swilling laptop pounders who can be counted on to show up every day (better yet, let a locally-owned coffeeshop get in there).

Imagine - - actual all-day foot traffic! People coming and going! Impromtu meetings in the greenspace! Bike racks!

Truth is, you should have done that with the ANDY'S building, which now has attractive empty windows on either side of the service station section of the building - no tenants.

C'mon - think outside the box already. Shoppes at Wyndham Village is certainly no threat to do something the least bit innovative or outside their build-a-stripmall kit - - make yourself stand out! Create a positive vibe over there!

Or build another strip mall.

See also:
Third place coffeehouses and coworking sites as economic development tools
Attract more creatives with 'anchored coworking'

From FranklinNow.com:

For the second time in six weeks the Plan Commission conditionally approved a plan for the next phase of the Fountains of Franklin Sendik's development. The Common Council has yet to cast its vote on the plan.

The $25 million to $30 million project would feature two commercial buildings totaling 39,700 square feet. Both structures, which do not have tenants yet, would be adjacent to the 61,500-square-foot Sendik's Fine Foods, a popular store that opened in November.

After reviewing revised architectural plans, the commission on June 19 conditionally approved a revised certified survey map for the next phase of the multiphase development in the 5300 to 5400 blocks of West Rawson Avenue. The commission called for more tweaking, particularly to the larger building's south elevation, which will face Rawson Avenue.

The commission approved a similar plan last month, but it was rejected the the Common Council on May 20.

Free Wi-Fi is all Starbucks needs to conquer the world - and it arrives Tuesday

This could be the final nail in the coffin of locally-owned coffee-houses: Affordable (read: FREE) Wi-Fi at Starbucks.

Frankly, free Wi-Fi is probably the number one factor for me in choosing a spot to sit and drink expensive coffee - - a "third place" where I can escape the home office for a bit. I imagine this'll bring in the laptops by the bucketful.

From USATODAY.com:

Starbucks offers new flavor: Free Wi-Fi
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

Thirsty for more business during the worst slump in its history, Starbucks will try to lure more customers by offering two hours of free AT&T Wi-Fi a day.
The Wi-Fi freebie will be available starting Tuesday to customers who purchase a minimum $5 reloadable Starbucks Card, register online for the Starbucks Rewards Card program, and use the card at least once a month. The two hours must be consecutive. New members also receive a voucher for a free drink.

Starbucks' 7-year-old relationship with T-Mobile for Wi-Fi service is being phased out in 2008.

For the coffee chain, the move is an attempt to entice its shrinking customer base — cutting back on pricey treats during the economic downturn — to return. Traffic and sales have been shrinking for months as founder Howard Schultz searches for a way to revive the brand. He's hoping the Wi-Fi freebie will attract more traffic to its 7,000 company-owned U.S. stores.

"Customers have let us know they want to be recognized for choosing Starbucks," says Brad Stevens, vice president of customer relationships. Particularly, he says, at a time when "budgets are tight."

While the Starbucks Card is 6 years old, the rewards program attached to it was rolled out in April. Rewards program members who register online already receive free syrup and milk options with drinks as well as free refills of hot and iced brewed coffees and a free drink when they buy a pound of coffee beans.

One brand experts says Starbucks still has a ways to go to revive the brand's image.

"They are desperate to keep the traffic going in their stores," says Eric Zeitoun, president of Dragon Rouge USA, a brand consulting firm. "But free Internet access won't get you there. Starbucks needs to fundamentally rethink the environment of its stores."

But Stevens says that free Internet will become a "core benefit" of the rewards program.

The Starbucks Card has become a behemoth — with more than $1 billion loaded onto cards last year.

Nearly 14% of all U.S. transactions at Starbucks are paid for using the Starbucks Card, says Stevens.

The card's new rewards program gives Starbucks an opportunity to gather personal information on its best customers (if they opt in), including details on what they like to eat and drink, and even when.

Starbucks is trying to figure out ways to market individually to consumers based on those preferences. "The Holy Grail is to reward customers with exactly what they want," says Stevens.

If you buy a scone each time you visit Starbucks, the chain is looking at programs that would reward you in the future with a free scone from time to time, he says.

Starbucks also is looking at ways to put card data on key fobs, cellphones and even travel mugs.

Losing the last vestige of public free space

Planning Quote of the Day:

"Public libraries are the last vestige of public free space." -- Joshua Prince-Ramus, who worked on the design of the Seattle Public Library.

From today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Milwaukee Public Library Director Paula Kiely is proposing to shut down four of the city's 12 neighborhood libraries, eliminate 39 jobs and cut the hours the Central Library is open. Kiely said she didn't want to do any of that, but she was faced with the need to slice $2 million from her budget.

[Milwaukee Mayor] Barrett said he hoped private donors would help, recognizing that libraries play a vital role as "institutions of learning and democracy." Murphy said aldermen would try to avoid closing libraries.

Attract more creatives with 'anchored coworking'

More on coworking sites? Absolutely - - Offering this amenity in a suburban community like Franklin could very well spell the difference when people are shopping for a city in which to settle.

Maybe some of the unused space in the epic Franklin Law Enforcement Center could be repurposed into a productive space like the one above.

From CoolTown Studios.

Creatives, free agents, entrepreneurs and mobile knowledge workers may be driving the economy, but they aren't going to be driving to work. They prefer avoiding isolation at home, but there are only so many coffeehouses, and even fewer coworking sites.

One growing source of spontaneous workplaces are anchored coworking sites - coworking sites provided by established companies who not only have extra space, but enjoy reserving it for untethered creatives. PSFK: Trends and Inspiration profiles several such examples in their recent article, A Deeper Look at Coworking.
What're the benefits of anchored coworking sites?

- For once, it doesn't take much additional investment or planning because the anchoring firm has already done so for itself (ie general lease, network printer, internet, phones, etc.)

- Second, the anchor company is often open to collaborating with its itinerant tenants, and thus will choose those with like-minded interests - a win-win proposition.

- Third, it's a heckuva lot faster, easier and much less risky with a more ubiquitous supply when you're talking about companies with extra desks vs starting completely from scratch.

By Neil Takemoto

Third place coffeehouses and coworking sites as economic development tools

Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist from Florida (and author of the book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community) writes about the importance of informal public gathering places: "Houses alone do not a community make, and the typical subdivision proved hostile to the emergence of any structure or space utilization beyond the uniform houses and streets that characterized it." Oldenberg argues that "third places" are central to local democracy and community vitality.

But can a community MONETIZE this vitality?

One major commercial development here in Franklin,  Shops at Wyndham Village, has already cynically sold out the promise of a true community space - - in what is supposed to be Franklin's City Civic Center District - - as illustrated in restrictions listed in this document, which the City of Franklin had no knowledge of until I brought it to their attention. (Wyndham Village's poor design is compounded by the inclusion of a DRIVE-THRU Starbucks!)

Missed opportunity, to say the least.

As I've noted here before: Why not encourage, through subsidies and other incentives, LOCAL cafes and coffee houses that support a growing population of entrepreneurs and telecommuters as coworking sites while at the same time provide commercial and community vitality in our public spaces? The area surrounding City Hall and the Library is crying out for amenities that would take advantage of the popularity of the Library, proximity to Legend Park, and connections to new commercial developments at Wyndham Village and Legend Creek.

Time to think CREATIVELY.

From Neil Takemoto at CoolTown Studios (emphasis added):

I first profiled Tryst back in 2003 as a popular coffeehouse third place in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. But five years later, ten years after it first opened, it's not only become a neighborhood institution, but it really should be seen as a contemporary model for job creation.

Here's the big picture:

1. A majority of big businesses come from small businesses, and small businesses are started by entrepreneurs... from their homes.

2. Many (not all) entrepreneurs who tried working exclusively from home will tell you one thing - it sucks. No human interaction, no place for meetings, no escape from spending most of your life stuck at home.

3. Coworking sites are ideal, but are often too pricey for the budding entrepreneur.

4. Thus, enter coffeehouses with free wifi and staff trained not to bug you too often if you've decided to park there for most of the workday. The good news is they're packed with entrepreneurs all day. The bad news is that they're not very profitable until they leave.

In the meantime cities are investing tons of capital in contrived business incubators that often fail. Why not redirect that capital into economic development tax breaks for coffeehouses that provide evidence of effectively acting as free workplaces for entrepreneurs?

On the one hand, Tryst makes no money before 6 pm. On the other hand one can't get a seat during the day. It seems to be an economic travesty not to have enough workplaces for the neighborhood entrepreneurs. Proactive cities will overcome this, but it obviously hasn't happened in Adams Morgan yet.

See also:

- Milwaukee's Bucketworks coworker site

- Wausau's CitizenDesk coworker site

- the Coworking Community Blog.

- Coworking wiki

- BusinessWeek: "Where the Coffee Shop Meets the Cubicle" and photo profiles

- Sprawled Out: The "Paradox of Sociability" and "The Third Place"

- Sprawled Out: "Are we turning into self-absorbed silos with little to no time to care about others?" Getting back "the third place"