San José is the capital of Costa Rica, a bustling city with a 2 million strong metropolitan population. The city presents unique challenges in mobility, influenced by infrastructure, weather, safety and accessibility. There is a growing need among josefinos(as) (San José residents) for safe spaces to gather. This led the team to examine:

How might we mobilize millennials and young adults to gather in public spaces of San Jose, in a way that rehabilitates areas with a negative reputation and motivates future mobility to that area?

La Mezcla bridges community and neighborhood restaurants. The opportune passage of the ‘Open Air Commerce Law’ in January, 2022 allows for municipalities in Costa Rica to give temporary permits to restaurants, bars and cafes to extend their reach to public spaces. La Mezcla offers restaurants support in applying for these permits, dedicated planned outdoor public space, an app, trained staff and infrastructure to extend their services beyond the confines of their establishments. 

The team engaged in in-depth interviews and co-creation workshops with urban planning & mobility experts, restaurateurs and locals who travel to the downtown area. This revealed two valuable insights - perception of safety of neighborhoods is based on stories and insights from trusted people within the community. And people’s craving for connection is a deep motivator in their decision to seek safe spaces to congregate in the city; drawing others and creating new mobility patterns for pedestrians.

The La Mezcla service blueprint mapped the complex ecosystem it will exist in, from city government to restaurant coalitions and financial services. Back end logistics range from creation and maintenance of a B2C app, to setting up and dismantling the space.

La Mezcla’s impact will be three pronged - environmental, social and economic. A percentage of profits will be donated to local greening programs and leftovers will be repurposed. Connecting communities to local enterprises will result in rehabilitation of neglected neighborhoods. New culinary corridors between La Mezcla locations will encourage walking thereby positively impacting general health and wellbeing of josefinos(as). Most importantly increased business and tax revenue promises to be regenerative to the entire downtown ecosystem.