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LETS

@lets.studiooo

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creative (community) services
📍oakland, ca
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come jam with me ⚡️ i spend most of my days thinking about how to bring people’s attention back to the places they live in, and how to help communities actually talk/coordinate/solve problems together. I have a lot of ideas, projects, etc that would be rad to work on with other people — if anything about the above post interests you and you live in the bay, DM me!! mostly looking for: - graphic designer - journalist/host - gadgeteer - administrative wizard by @lets.studiooo
Last week, we hosted a community conversation at the Lowdown to talk with our neighbors in downtown Oakland about what they wanted to see from the excess of empty storefronts in our community, part of our ongoing collaboration with @lets.studiooo. More than a dozen people gathered to discuss why this problem persists, and what we could do about it. The conversation built on some of the themes we’ve heard from people in the neighborhood about what could fill these vacant spaces over the last few weeks: affordable housing, social services, social spaces for art and connecting, places to get fresh produce, and more. The conversation was lively, and we were able to share a summary of the ideas, needs, questions, and resources that came out of it with everyone who attended. We’re planning to build on the suggestions that folks at the meeting shared, and keep connecting neighbors around ways to address the issue. If you’re interested in joining the conversation, send us a message! In the meantime, check out (and share!) our guidebook through the link in our bio, which gives an overview of what we’ve learned so far about downtown Oakland’s empty storefronts, and what can be done to fill them. by @lets.studiooo
New prints! We’re working with @lets.studiooo to ask neighbors what they’d like to see in downtown Oakland’s empty storefronts. Stop by the Lowdown on Friday afternoons to get a free poster and share your thoughts! These are the first prints we’ve made through our in-house screenprinting studio. We’re open to working with local artists on creating original visuals that elevate local stories, issues and information. Message us if you’re interested in collaborating! #oakland #oaklandart #screenprint #screenprinting #journalism #localnews by @lets.studiooo
Downtown Oakland has changed a lot since the start of the pandemic. Many small local businesses – bars, restaurants, clothing stores, and more – shuttered their doors years ago, leaving behind storefronts that still sit empty. Many large retail spaces at the bottom of high-rise apartments are essentially empty shells without plumbing or electricity. Meanwhile, our neighborhood lacks many of the basic amenities (like grocery stores or supply stores) that support a healthy community. We’ve been trying to understand WHY many vacant storefronts in the middle of downtown Oakland remain unfilled. As a collaboration between @lets.studiooo (Humphrey) and @oaklandlowdown (Cole & Chris), we’ve talked to small business owners, organizers, residents, property owners, brokers, and more as we try to understand the problem from all angles. The information we continue to gather will hopefully be useful to policymakers and community members alike as they pursue opportunities to reverse this trend of vacancies; in the meantime, we’ve documented our findings in our latest window display at the Lowdown. Stop by our studio (300 14th Street to check it out. More than anything, we hope that this starts a conversation about how we can fill these empty spaces, and what would benefit the greater neighborhood. We’ll  host events in the coming weeks to bring our neighbors into this conversation. by @lets.studiooo
We hosted an incredible COMMUNITY CONVERSATION about the vacant storefronts in downtown Oakland yesterday! People with a real connection to the neighborhood talked about the challenges they’ve seen in the neighborhood. More than that, we brainstormed strategies that would support a more inclusive and supportive environment for small businesses, artisans, coops, and others who support our community. Everyone was excited to find ways to take action — exploring policies for affordability, accountability for existing programs that support small businesses, activating the streets, and more. We’ll send a summary of the conversation to everyone who expressed interest, along with some opportunities to take action or continue the conversation. And if you missed it, don’t sweat it — there will be more where this came from! Many thanks to @1528webster for hosting us. #oakland #communitydevelopment #communityengagement #vacantstorefronts by @lets.studiooo
Lots of our neighbors responded to our last survey about what we should do about the vacant storefronts downtown, and the variety of needs people have that have gone unmet. So next Thursday (November 21), we’re hosting a conversations about the issue of vacant storefronts in our community. We’ll share about what we’ve learned from talking to small businesses, residents, and property owners, and will create space for our community to dream up how we can move forward. Most of all, we’re excited to just bring our neighborhood together! Dinner and drinks will be provided — RSVP with the link in bio (bit.ly/lets-talk-downtown) so we can plan. The event will be geared towards those who have a real attachment to this neighborhood (through living here, working here, or having some history with the neighborhood), but you’re also welcome to join if not. #oakland #downtownoakland #community #urbandesign #civicengagement by @lets.studiooo
We started off with our corner of downtown. Now, we’ve mapped the rest of our neighborhood… and are noticing the same patterns of retail vacancies. 1 in 4 of the storefronts in the heart of downtown are empty. This map is just a way to start (and potentially guide) a real conversation about how we can improve street life on our blocks. By turning an eye towards the neighborhood as a whole, we hope to bring all the residents, shopkeepers, and others who make this neighborhood what it is to imagine something better — one pink block at a time. #oakland #downtownoakland #community #urbanism #participatorydesign #storytelling #narrativeart by @lets.studiooo
Oakland is full of empty storefronts. You see them on the ground floor of high rises, on quiet street corners, and random medians. In some cases, they used to be where pockets of the city would gather to share a laugh or a drink, filled with history. In others, they’ve never seated a single soul. But if filled, each of these storefronts has the potential to contribute to a healthier, happier city. We’re working with the @oaklandlowdown to understand why so many storefronts have stayed vacant, what challenges merchants face in the city, and how we can move towards a more sustainable state of affairs. We’re also taking a hyperlocal approach, starting with organizing conversations and building relationships on our block before expanding out to the rest of the city. Follow along here, or share with folks you know in the area! #oakland #downtownoakland #communityengagement #codesign #urbandesign #civicengagement #placemaking #participatorydesign by @lets.studiooo

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