Mobile Café In Denver Turns Coffee Into An Urban Strategy
We get really excited when we come across projects that not only feature pop-up urbanism, but also promote alternative models of urban daily life. Public Coffee is a Denver-based collaboration among many interdisciplinary creative parties, such as designers, social artists, educators, coffee visionaries, social workers, businessmen, a farmer’s market director, and an architect. They have decided to take the concept of the coffee shop one step further in indie entrepreneurialism and deeper in society.
The physical form of the coffee shop is designed to be a mobile café that would pop-up at different spots, all around the city of Denver. The idea is to visit four different neighbourhoods per week either of their own choice, or as a response to a neighborhood’s invitation. Public Coffee will be built from a two-horse trailer and the walls will open to reveal a coffee bar and brewing. The interior as well as the furniture of the shop are to be designed and produced by members of the initiative.
On the level of societal relevance, they aim to take the concept of the coffee house as it used to be, before it turned into an ‘internet café’, out in the public space. It’s difficult to use your computer when ordering a coffee from a trailer, so people will be prompted to speak to each other. Public Coffee hopes to increase the levels of social interaction and bring back the idea of the coffee house as “an open center for thinkers and researchers across many disciplines to share their discoveries with one another”. The general aim is to provide a solid base and a tool for developing a more open-minded and accepting society.
Throughout its daily processes the project will also support two highly upcoming urban movements: those of pay-what-you-can and pay-it-forward. This is a great way to allow even more people to participate in the coffee-drinking social interaction as well as the development of the project itself. In order to make their idea to pop up in the streets of Denver for real, the non-profit initiative started a Kickstarter campaign where they ask for our financial support. However, if you also feel like actively participating in the project you are more than welcome.
