Maiken Scott Reports on the Club’s October Program
Panelists (left to right) Eric Zilmer, Whitney Joslin, and host Maiken Scott discussing happy places!
By: Maiken Scott
Thank you to everyone who joined Sunday Breakfast Club’s season opener at the Mann Center this October!
Since she’ll be a more regular presence this season, we wanted to (re)introduce Maiken Scott to the community. Maiken is a journalist by trade, and has spent most of her career as a broadcaster here in Philadelphia with WHYY. She started there as an intern, later became a producer and reporter, and currently hosts the syndicated health and science show called The Pulse.
Maiken came to Philadelphia from Germany in the 1990s and graduated from Temple University. She’s been a business owner, an amateur wedding florist, loves planning events, and is curious about most things. She looks forward to getting to know all of you more!
Now, a few words about our most recent event on October 8th. A stunning sunset cast a golden glow over the city's beautiful skyline, the perfect setting for our conversation about happy spaces. Our panel guests, Eric Zilmer and Whitney Joslin, approached the topic from very different perspectives; Eric is a psychologist studying happiness, Whitney is an architect working for Scout Ltd, but they played perfectly off each other, creating an engaging and fun conversation.
(Eric's work and HIS happiness map has since inspired this great article from the Inquirer)
So, what is a "happy" space?
If you ask Eric's students at Drexel University, the answers vary greatly, everything from the Philadelphia Zoo to a cat park, Mango Mango Dessert, or the biopond on the UPenn campus.
But Eric told us that all these places have things in common: beauty, social connection, and safety. Accessibility is also key in creating happy spaces. Eric said that being in these places makes you feel content, you can be there by yourself or engage with others, and you feel like you're part of something bigger.
Whitney said that as a developer, a key ingredient in creating these kinds of spaces is to build the idea of connection into the design. Creating happy spaces also requires a longer-term investment from developers, where you see potential in a space, but you need a vision to make it happen. Whitney's firm is well-known for its work with the popular Bok building, and she told us a bit about what it took to make that happen:
Lots of conversations with neighbors, who can be extremely passionate about different issues, like parking, or a fence that had to be removed.
Creating opportunities for connection and interaction, like "the stoop" which transformed the vacant space around the building into "South Philly's living room."
A vision to see this space in a new light, to see potential where others might see blight.
A deep commitment to this vision and to stick it out over time. A willingness to take risks.
Whitney owns and operates the coffee shop at Bok together with her partner, so be sure to stop by there some time!
Eric said asking his students to nominate their "happy spaces" allowed him to see the city in a different light, with fresh eyes, and to discover new things. He reminded us that we live in a beautiful city, and to notice this beauty every day.
We look forward to seeing you all again on November 5th at the Fitler Club when we'll hear from Kerry Sautner, CEO of Eastern State Penitentiary, one of Philadelphia's most innovative and popular historic sites.