Next American City has recently launched the Storefront for Urban Innovation at its offices at 2816 W. Girard Avenue.
The Storefront’s purpose is to bring exciting ideas for improving cities to Philadelphia; engage all Philadelphians in a more robust dialogue about issues such as infrastructure, the built environment, the economy and education; build urban policy literacy among a broader constituency of Philadelphians; and put Philadelphia on the map as a key laboratory for urban policy and practice.
Ultimately, we want this project to empower people to improve their cities. By elevating the quality of policy education and discourse, we envision this project resulting in better elected officials, business leaders, executive directors and others; stronger, more diverse coalitions of citizens and organizations that call for improvements to transportation, education and social services; and innovative new collaborations among the business sector that will help sustain the region’s economy.
Next American City is seeking artists to contribute work to fill our Storefront window, a 12’ x 12’ area that can accommodate two- or three-dimensional exhibits. Each exhibit will occupy our front window for a period of three to six weeks and must relate to relevant urban policy issues.