Daylife is an event proposal using design thinking to solve an issue faced by a local community non-profit. Through the IMPACT! Design for Social Change program, we teamed up with the Lower East Side Business Improvement District (LES BID) from Manhattan, NY. This event was conceputalized in the summer of 2011 and has been a successful running event since 2012! Find out more information on upcoming events at lowereastside.org/special-events/daylife.

During the time New York City did not allow any businesses to be open on Sundays, it created an unfair advantage for the LES. There was a majority of Jewish residents, leaving business owners to close their shops on Saturdays as well. They compromised with the city, allowing only businesses in this district to open on Sundays, and soon led to become the most popular shopping destination at that time. The popularity of the streets grew so rapidly they needed to close off 3 blocks (on Orchard Street) from traffic for pedestrian safety.

Eventually... all businesses were allowed to open on Sundays. Competition greatly increased, therefore the LES saw a large traffic decreased. Today, the LES is filled with hip new restaurants, galleries, and boutiques and is a nighttime destination making it primarily a young district. However, the business owners in the area are having trouble with the lack of foot traffic during theday. Because of this issue, it has been hard filling all retail plots leaving many empty and rundown storefronts. This view also leaves the streets feeling cold and unwelcoming.

As design thinkers, we came up with a creative solution to utilize the unique advantage to have 3 consecutive blocks closed each week. Playing off of their current identity, “LES is MORE,” we proposed to instill a series of events on Orchard Street titled “Daylife: LES is more than nightlife.” Instead of an average street fair, we created a specialized platform to incorporate all local businesses and themes that address a popular culture that thrives in the LES. These themes include: Food, Fashion & Art, Social Interaction, and a Block Party. The goal is to use these activities as a central point to spark more communication between the residents, business owners, andvisitors of the LES to add a personal relationship within the community.