screen cap from his website  click here to see his site

Twitter, on Monday Nov 9^rd, 2015, 7 – 8 p.m. E.S.T., as we explore the success and challenges of animating empty storefronts using pop-up shops with Marcus Westbury of Renew Newcastle, Australia.

Marcus Westbury (@unsungsongs) is founder/creative director of Renew Newcastle. He visited Toronto last in 2012. Now he has written a book – Creating Cities.

How it works

Beginning at 7pm, @PopupShopsTO will launch one question every ten minutes. Questions will be numbered Q1, Q2, etc. Please number your answers A1, A2, etc. and end with #VibrantTO to help everyone follow along.  For each question, our co-host will offer a response then participants will be invited to share their thoughts.

Renew Newcastle is unique scheme that has attracted interest from around the world. It has been described as “a clever partial solution” (Time.com), “a smart, inspired way to deal with unused spaces that might otherwise be left to ruin” (Inside Out), “the transformation of the city centre” (The Newcastle Herald),  “an incredible success …. both to assist the business community in the area while simultaneously [giving] a boost to local artists and designers” (ABC TV), “overwhelmingly positive, with the CBD finally starting to re-emerge” (Jetstar in-flight magazine), “There is genius in this … wow!”(wired.com) and“reviving the city” (Daily Telegraph).