Reclaiming Alleyways

"Todd Vogel of the International Sustainability Institute bought two floors of the Nord in 2007, and began using it for his own office space as well as renting space to a number of for-profit and non-profit tenants. When he moved in, he began doing small things to clean up the adjoining alley, wanting to send a signal to others to respect the space.

"We began by cleaning, painting, taking boards off the windows, adding plants and putting nicer doors up," he said. "I bought a table on Craigslist and put it out there, and as soon as I did that, people started taking care of it better.""

Thanks to Eric Nusbaum