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| Our networked "Affinity Map" |
On the right is part of our "Affinity Map" where we made little avatars of ourselves and mapped how we were similar. Andrew explained that this is a typical icebreaker game, and can be helpful when a workgroup forms of people who don't know each other well.
Our last demo was of a "3-12-3" game where you take 3 minutes to write ideas on cards, break into groups that are dealt 5 cards and take 12 minutes to discuss ideas that the cards inspire. If the mix is wrong a group can ask for a "hit" poker-style and get a replacement card. Finally, each group takes 3 minutes to present their grand ideas. On the left are the notes Andrew took of our reports.
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| Ideas for downtown, summation of our "3-12-3" game |
P.S. This is a verbatim transcription of the cards and includes a few political statements. The views of the workshop participants in no way reflects the views of the library.
SPECIAL EVENTS
- Treasure Hunt
- Sponsor a scavenger hunt, visit businesses to gather items
- Street Fairs nearby
- Free entertainment (city pays artists to perform at businesses)
- Organize [and film???] flashmobs at businesses
- Large-scale moveable feasts
- "Light the Night" avenue walk
- Have a contest to come up with a song about the construction -- winner plays the song at different businesses
- Music on the street
- Orchestrated viewing "shows" of heavy machinery
- Streetcar "caroling" expedition (like bar crawl but not)
- Weekly street parties
- Food events on the street
- Provide street block party environment for merchants to showcase their businesses
- Street performances
- Entertainers on the street corners
- Encourage group events by making more holidays, ie: Star Wars Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day
- Make navigating the construction a game
- Hold an "un"-street fair with the artisans on the sidewalk
- Expo (tent city)
- Holiday shopping in June
- Make shopping downtown into a game, ie earn tokens that can be traded later for prizes
- Sidewalk-n-Dust Festival
- Meet and greet the construction vehicles
- Sponsor community work projects where artists donate art or make tiles or signage
- Create a game where people have to visit businesses and win prizes
- Talk to Warner at City Recess about using crisis to demo the software
- Tours of the construction
- 2nd Saturday-style event when RTA is finished
PERSONAL ACTION
- Organize your friends and shop together
- When you (yourself) have a choice about where to go, choose downtown
- Provide job help as temporary workers
PUBLICITY AND AWARENESS
- Marketing outreach "Go downtown"
- Publicize the "MOOB"ers widely
- Highlight a business of the week
- Marketing of affected businesses and advise [that] they're still open
- Free maps of how to get around construction
- Business-specific signage on streets
HUMOR ALWAYS HELPS
- Free dust masks
- Ziplines connecting the rooftops
- Free parking, free rent, free candy
FINANCIAL RELIEF
- No taxes during construction
- Sales tax holiday
- Exempt them from charging/paying city tax
- No-interest loans only to be repaid when RTA opens
- Grant money to assist businesses with operational costs
- Tax credits
- Grants or other outside assistance to help sustain
- [Supplier] discount card for [business] expenses
- Relocation assistance x2 (away then back)
- Write grants to help businesses make it through the slow time while the streets are closed
- Produce funding to subsidize biz during construction
- Give merchants free rent during construction
- Hire them to cater other events
INFRASTRUCTURE (might have longer lasting effect)
- More connections between businesses in coordinating visibility and offers
- Organize help for redesigning merchant websites and improving their SEO
- Help them renovate their sites during construction
- Create alternative venues for biz. Partnerships? Expansions?
- Teach businesses about nontraditional publicity methods like social media
- Encouragement to try catering (and get away from the street)
- [For the restaurants] subsidized mobile kitchens
RETAIL INCENTIVES FOR SHOPPERS
- Loyalty card
- Sales every weekend
- RTA could give gift cards out to community for affected shops (people would get a $5 gift card but spend more)
- Random customers selected for giveaways
- Have lots of sales
- Week-long sales events - one biz each week
- If you spend a certain amount of $ during RTA construction those translate into credits you can use later or post-construction
- Subsidies to those using those businesses (restaurant coupons, etc.)
THE "UGLY" FACTOR
- Yarn-bomb the chainlink, especially on Congress
- Decorate the chainlink
THE PARKING/TRANSPORTATION/SIGNAGE PROBLEM
- Free parking downtown during construction
- Lots of info on parking in ALL media
- Start a shuttle to Congress/4th from a big parking lot to other parts of town
- Pre-purchased rider cards at discount, funnel some % to affected businesses
- Shuttles to bring people up from far away parking
- Provide free parking everywhere
- Provide transportation to get there and back
- Make passageways across closed areas so it is easier to cross streets
- Make public transportation free to downtown destinations
- Create more access to public parking
- Better pathways for walking/running/biking
- Bus people in so they don't have to find parking
- Create signs to identify business from a main traffic area
- Work-around travel options
- Passageways across closed areas
- Free parking in downtown Tucson 1 weekday a week
- Create alternative access & parking
- Use empty lots for free parking
- Bike rickshaw "street line" to transport people
- Rider incentives to frequent affected businesses
- Parking validation
SYSTEMIC
- A new city council
- Work after midnight until morning
- Sell [personalized] bricks
- No modern streetcar
- Construction work doubles on weekends to hurry progress
- Work in smaller sections so large pieces of roads aren't closed
- Do the construction in phases
- Work days, nights and weekends and use larger crews to shorten construction time
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