While the pandemic has caused thousands of small businesses to temporarily close or shutter for good, the disappearance of the dining area in the corner coffee shop means more than lost sales.
It also represents a collective loss of creativity.
Researchers have shown how creative thinking can be cultivated by simple habits such as exercise, sleep and reading. But another catalyst is unplanned interactions with close friends, casual acquaintances and complete strangers. With the closure of coffee shops – not to mention places such as bars, libraries, gyms and museums – these opportunities vanish.
Of course, not all chance meetings result in brilliant ideas. Yet as we bounce from place to place, each brief social encounter plants a small seed that can gel into a new idea or inspiration.
By missing out on chance meetings and observations that nudge our curiosity and jolt “a-ha!” moments, new ideas, big and small, go undiscovered.
Famous artists, novelists and scientists are often seen as if their ideas and work come from a singular mind. But this is misleading. The ideas of even the most reclusive of poets, mathematicians or theologians are part of larger conversations among peers, or are reactions and responses to the world.
As author Steven Johnson wrote in “Where Good Ideas Come From,” the “trick to having good ideas is not to sit around in glorious isolation and try to think big thoughts.” Instead, he recommends that we “go for a walk,” “embrace serendipity” and “frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks.”
It was the tea- and coffeehouses of London in the 18th century that spurred the Age of Enlightenment. As research shows, it’s not the caffeine; it’s the people. Simply being around other people who are working can motivate us to do the same.
In other words, creativity is social.
It’s also contextual. The built environment plays a hidden but crucial role. Architectural researchers in the United Kingdom found that classroom design impacts the speed at which students learn. They found that classroom features, such as furniture and lighting, have as much impact on learning as teachers. Similar aspects of cafe design can enhance creativity.
Buildings influence a wide range of human functions. Temperature and humidity, for example, affect our ability to concentrate. Daylighting is positively linked to productivity, stress management and immune functions. And air quality affects both respiratory and mental health. Architectural design has even been connected to happiness.
Likewise, a well-designed coffee shop can facilitate creativity – where the unplanned friction between people can ignite sparks of innovation.
Of course, not all coffee shops have closed. Many shops have reduced indoor seating capacity, limited patrons to exterior seating or have restricted services to takeout only as a means to stay open. All of them have faced the difficult task of implementing safeguards while retaining the atmosphere of their establishments.
While these tweaks allow businesses to stay open and ensure the safety of customers, they sap spaces of their souls.
When social life fully transitions into the digital realm, these opportunities become limited. Conversations become prearranged, while the side chats that take place before or after a meeting or event have been quashed.
For cafe owners, employees and customers, the post-pandemic era can’t come soon enough. After all, while customers ostensibly stop by their local coffee shop for a jolt of caffeine, the true draw of the place is in its haptic and hectic spirit. n
Korydon Smith is a professor of architecture and co-founder of Global Health Equity at the University of Buffalo. Kelly Hayes McAlonie is adjunct instructor of architecture at the University of Buffalo. Rebecca Rotundo is associate director of instructional design at the University of Buffalo. Distributed by The Associated Press.
