If authenticity focuses on the location, vibrancy focuses on the people. Vibrancy is an intangible energy you feel in specific places and at certain events. A vibrant downtown bustles with a correlating number of people; shops are well frequented; restaurants and cafes are full of clientele. Popular plazas and parks have this feeling when alive with events or gathering crowds. Good farmer’s markets, like the one in Moscow, Idaho, are a prime example of this collective energy and excitement. So are prime commercial centers, downtowns, main streets and districts like Salt Lake City’s Gateway District. This vibrant commercial center features adaptive reuse, high density, a mix of uses and pedestrian orientation.
Vibrancy is not always busy or crowded. A crowded Walmart traffic jam has plenty of people but little vibrancy. It’s not the masses of people, but the life-affirming energy felt by those in attendance. This pulse indicates a variation from bustling to relaxed. Vibrancy is why baseball games are more enjoyable in the stands, why you laugh more in the theater, why people attend public events, go downtown and even conglomerate to form cities. It’s a social pulse.
Love the blog, Paul! I miss the farmer's market in Moscow! Expand your blog and come visit our farmer's market in Tennessee!
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