24
/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2014
Co-opetition: Creative Climate Might Benefit You
A
few weeks ago I was introduced to the term
“co-opetition” (i.e., the delicate balance be-
tween cooperation and competition) in an
article titled “The Creative Climate.” In the article,
David Brooks illustrates this term by sharing exam-
ples of dissonant parties working together to create
outcomes that are more successful than if produced
solely by individuals. Using Joshua Wolf Shenk’s
account of the collaboration between John Lennon
and Paul McCartney as an example, he explains how
McCartney influenced Lennon to turn his somber lyr-
ics “Help! I need somebody!” into a surprisingly upbeat,
prolific pop hit.
In a language filled with “co” buzzwords (from
co
-working to
co
llaboration to
co
location), this afore-
mentioned idea of successful outcomes being generat-
edby individualsworking together isnot anewconcept.
Anyone involved in the real estate and A&D industries
knows that development, design and construction – on
any scale – begins and ends with the coordination of
vastly different stakeholders and ongoing collabora-
tion. What differentiates the term “co-opetition” from
its counterparts is that it embraces the competition
bred out of shared goals (in addition to resources and
diverse skill sets) as necessary – if not vital – to creating
outcomes that may be deemed truly “successful.”
Denver’s rapidly changing economic and creative
climate is a prime example of an urban metropolis ex-
ercising “cooperative competition.” And I would argue
that it is this friendly, sometimes dissonant, competi-
tion that is both challenging and shaping Denver’s rap-
idly changing urban environment.
Rewind to my happy return to Denver via Chicago in
2013. After landing on the Denver Arts and Venues’ Pub-
lic Art Committee, I found myself sitting in a building
formerly known as Weisco Motorcars at the crossroads
of the Arapahoe Square, Curtis Park, Ballpark and RiNo
neighborhoods on a balmy Thursday afternoon. Fans
whirred and cars whizzed by as I found myself watch-
ing a dance performance on a stage where cars used
to be repaired. Couches lined the dance floor, and any
and every passerby was visually invited to pass through
the open garage doors, sit and take in a rehearsal by
Wonderbound, the state’s second-largest ballet compa-
ny (formerly Denver’s Ballet Nouveau).
Post-performance, our committee learned about
Wonderbound’s recent relocation, and the oppor-
tunities and impact its new adjacencies to other cre-
ative-minded businesses such as the Redline Gallery
(focused on arts revitalization) had yielded. In many
ways, its relocation to a blighted urban neighborhood
had successfully helped it rebrand the company while
inadvertently helping redefine the community’s per-
ception of its surrounding environment.
Beth R.
Mosenthal
Assoc. AIA,
LEED AP
BD+C,
Associate,
Gensler
Creative Content
We moved our office to the vibrant Santa Fe Arts District in Denver. We continue to grow by
helping to
create great places
that are
financially successful,
and become
long-term assets
in the
community. We provide market-directed land use planning and design that strives to balance the
ambitious with the pragmatic.
Stop by 767 Santa Fe Drive, call us at 303-741-7411, or visit
planwest.com.
Moving up.
P L A N N I N G
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