Revitalizing Forgotten Spaces in Logan Heights Into Community-Driven Arts & Cultural Hubs
![Chips+Work+Portfolio+[2024]+(34).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/170401_4aa3e1ffca004ebabd0669f920c48245~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_490,h_325,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/170401_4aa3e1ffca004ebabd0669f920c48245~mv2.png)
Opportunity
Along the corridor between 19th and 32nd Streets in Logan Heights, vacant and underutilized warehouses sat within a neighborhood with a rich cultural history and an active creative community.
Artists, makers, and small businesses needed accessible places to work, reach customers, and gather. Industrial uses and changes to the neighborhood’s built environment had fragmented those opportunities, leaving individual spaces disconnected from one another.
The opportunity was to bring these properties into productive use around the people and culture already present—supporting local enterprise while giving visitors more reasons to explore the neighborhood.
Strategy
Establish an arts district that connected creative spaces, business support, and cultural programming around a shared neighborhood identity.
The approach extended beyond renovating individual buildings. Affordable workspaces would give businesses a foothold, practical support would help them grow, and public-facing uses and events would connect them with customers and the surrounding community.
Local artists, businesses, and organizations helped shape the district’s direction, grounding the work in the neighborhood rather than imposing an identity from outside.
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Execution
Properties with a role in the district
Vacant and underused industrial spaces were adapted for creative workspaces, retail, galleries, and gathering. Food vendors, outdoor recreation, and shared spaces broadened their use beyond conventional tenancy.
Each property contributed a different offering while supporting the district’s larger purpose: places for local businesses to work, connect, and welcome the public.
Business support alongside the space
Accessible workspaces were paired with hands-on mentorship, business development assistance, and financial guidance.
Support reached hundreds of local businesses, including numerous first-time entrepreneurs. Incubator programs helped participants develop their businesses and make use of opportunities within the district.
Programming shaped with local partners
Art exhibitions, makers markets, concerts, and cultural festivals brought businesses and creative work into public view.
Partnerships with artists, nonprofits, community organizations, and city officials informed programming and helped secure resources. Ongoing engagement gave local participants a role in how the district developed.
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![Chips Work Portfolio [2024] (36).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/170401_763fd3d82ca14d02a2836f208f6dc843~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_218,h_325,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Chips%20Work%20Portfolio%20%5B2024%5D%20(36).png)
Results
Within three years, the Logan Heights Arts District had connected underused industrial properties into an active network of creative businesses and gathering places. Business support and public programming drew thousands of visitors, brought new customers to local businesses, and strengthened the corridor’s identity as a cultural destination.
57%+
Increase in the value of properties under management
300%+
Net revenue growth
200+
Community events hosted
Project Role
Led district planning, property positioning, activation, and operations — developing the workspace and business support model, coordinating cultural programming, and building partnerships with local businesses, artists, community organizations, and public-sector stakeholders.
Value Created
The district brought standalone properties and businesses together into one connected creative ecosystem. A cohesive vision, distinctive positioning, and coordinated programming gave the corridor a shared identity and a stronger draw for businesses and visitors. What had been a collection of underused warehouses became a recognized creative destination — generating property value, local economic activity, and opportunities for cultural expression.
Want to bring this approach to a new community?
Let’s talk.