we are a collective

We work with design teams or directly with clients to create dynamic public spaces that foster connection, creativity, and culture. Our team combines expertise in experience design, space planning, community advocacy, and the arts to activate underutilized places and engage communities in the design process.

We are a network of collaborators with specialities in diverse media - design, technology, visual arts - and work on every project with the appropriate scale and approach.

1. engagement

We embed ourselves in community engagement to connect people with the design and test programming ideas.

People won’t always remember a presentation at a meeting. They’ll remember how they felt, what they did, and who they met. Let us inject creativity using tactile experiences, empathy mapping, and visual engagement for your outreach that will collect data while creating emotional connections.

2. activation

Food trucks parked in an urban plaza with musicians playing guitars, surrounded by modern buildings and sculptures.

We create small-scale programming experiments that help animate underutilized spaces, create marketing opportunities, and test design methods, through lasting partnerships with local businesses, organizations, and artists for the future success of your project.

3. design

Aerial view of a busy urban street scene with a rainbow crosswalk, people walking, and various art installations. The area is decorated with colorful flowers and plants.

Communities shouldn’t have to wait years before seeing changes in their neighborhoods. We offer supplemental design services for interim interventions and prototypes that can come before or during a longer-term public project.

Whether it’s custom modular seating, temporary art installations, experimental plantings, or other placemaking tools, let us design for the now while your project plans for the future.

4. storytelling

We love big ideas, and how you introduce yours to the world matters. Through photography, exhibits, information design, and other media, we will help document the life of a place and build its visual identity. RE.CO works with award-winning photographers and UX designers who can visually communicate the story of your project to the public, decision makers, and potential funders. More than ideas, people understand what they can see and touch.