On a beautiful day like today, it's only natural to walk to lunch and sneak outside every opportunity you get. So, I decided to do just that.

As I stepped out of my Main Street office this afternoon to grab some coffee, something caught my attention - Park Place (most recently L'Asiantique), a restaurant space that has been sitting vacant in the first floor of a 10-story office building downtown for years, suddenly had life in it again. Dozens of people were moving things in and out, rearranging the space, and appeared to be prepping for something big - perhaps a restaurant again - to move in. I was excited, and kept walking after snapping a quick picture.

I turned the corner onto Clinton Street. A few hundred feet away from me, a group of colorfully dressed people were singing, dancing, and circling a May Pole on the courthouse lawn. Though there were only a couple dozen people that were part of the celebration, dozens more stood on the sidewalk watching, taking photos, and enjoying the unique site downtown.

The nice weather appeared to have had the same effect on everyone else as it did on me. Hundreds of people were out walking, sitting, enjoying lunch, or just taking a break outside on the sidewalks of downtown. Unfortunately, sites like this have become a rarity in Fort Wayne over time. We don't enjoy the amount of vibrancy in our downtown area that we once had - but today, things were different. Today, there was life, things were happening, and the energy was contagious. Regardless of whether or not you started your day in a good mood, you were bound to end up in one after a walk through downtown.

I stepped into my favorite coffee shop downtown (Higher Grounds Star, shameless plug) and rambled on and on to the owner about how vibrant and exciting things seemed downtown today. I sat down to each my lunch for a few minutes, but could only keep myself from wandering around outside for a quick second. I wanted to be part of the action, part of the excitement - the way I perceived it, downtown was full of life today and good things appeared to be just around the corner. We had a mix of event-based activity (the May Pole dancers), and built development / physical activity (the Park Place space). The vibrancy and excitement we were all enjoying this afternoon was sure to last for some time to come.

On my way back, however, the May Pole dancers had already packed up and left. The spectators had parted. Most people had finished their meals and returned to their offices, and upon returning to Main Street a UPS driver bursted my bubble by telling me they were filming a commercial in the Park Place space, not preparing it for something new. As quickly as life had entered downtown, it left in the same fashion and with the same speed. My excitement and energy levels plummeted as I returned to my desk.

What's my point in telling you all of this? Perhaps we limit the capacity of our city's urban core by limiting our imaginations. When we perceive downtown to be active, vibrant, and exciting, we carry that energy with us. We rethink Fort Wayne. We re-imagine spaces and interact with them differently. Because we perceive our surroundings to be full of life and vibrancy, we too become energetic. Simply put, happy people enjoy happy places.

It reminds me of the inspiring work my Chattanooga friends have done through CreateHere and are continuing to do through Glass House Collective. They realize that perceptions are important and, for a space to experience truly sustainable change, any alterations made to that space must be guided by the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the people who interact with it on a routine basis. Without a vision of what that space could be, though, it can never realize its full potential. Getting people exciting about places and teaching them to re-imagine them is critical to the development of exceptional, inviting, attractive public spaces.