A special thanks to all who came through for our Creative Cities Lab Open House!
Held at our recently launched IF Lab – an entrepreneurship hub for minority-owned businesses located in Kensington, Philadelphia, the open house laid out mini experiences of projects from Little Giant Creative’s non-profit initiative, Creative Cities Lab (CCL).
IF Lab, currently in its pilot phase at MaKen South highlighted a variety of design work and branding for businesses including PoundCake Heaven and Cà Phê Roasters as well as the vision for IF Lab as it grows into its permanent space in J Centrel – a joint venture between Shift Capital and S&R Holdings.
A Dream Deferred PHL exhibit was resized to showcase the touchscreen technology used to illustrate data, history and effects of redlining across Philadelphia neighborhoods via interactive descriptive map, historical documents, and a glossary of terms to understand why certain neighborhoods changed over time. The twenty-minute documentary which focused on themes of displacement and confinement was screened throughout the day.
Urban Share Junkets section visually mapped the 2018 USJ pilot tours. A short video recapped the two-day trips to Chicago and Philadelphia. A question was posed for visitors to answer: “Are there community spaces or organizations in your neighborhood that embody equitable development?”
A preview of Reading Room, a contemporary bookstore and café that fosters community building in a welcoming cultural environment, was located in the lounge area at IF Lab furnished with books on: the minority-majority shift, history of communities of color, urban and equitable development, and entrepreneurship
Women Led Cities brings women’s voices to the forefront and aims to achieve a greater level of equity in urban planning, design and development – both bottom-up and top-down – and start conversations about creating more equitable, inclusive cities for all.
Through a series of working conferences, women of all urban fields – from design and public policy to arts and social sciences – come together to explore community issues and public spaces, ultimately working towards a unified vision of the women-led city.
A video recap was available for viewing along with an activity that prompted attendees to share their feedback: “What does an equitable, inclusive city look like you?”
Institute of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship highlighted the curriculum along with the prominent entrepreneurs who worked with students throughout the program.
IF Lab at MaKen South is open to the public every Thursday. If interested in reserving workspace or to request info, email us at hello@creativecitieslab.com.
Website coming soon. Follow @creativecitieslab for updates!
