Research & Consulting
Exploring the Metropolis has a long history of expertise and consultancies on shared space, adaptive use, layouts and how to make space work better. We have provided data and advice to address workspace issues that affect the music, dance and theatre communities in the five boroughs. Our studies and commissions reach back to the 1980s Midtown Zoning, through 1990s adaptive uses in Harlem and Jamaica, to annual surveys for the Office of the City Council Speaker.
Our recent research studies include:
- Our 2010 study for The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The resulting report, “We Make Do: More Time is Better, But Budget is King,” discusses the impact of workspace issues on dance companies led by a single, mid-career choreographer and offers remedies. Download the report (761 KB PDF)
- Our 2008 study of musicians’ workspace for the New York State Music Fund, which spurred the establishment of the EtM Con Edison Composers’ Residency program in 2009. Download the report (1 MB PDF)
- Our feasibility study of an orchestra-based rehearsal center in 2004, which led to the development of the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, owned and operated by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Download the report (2.3 MB PDF)
- Our 2011 consulting assignment in Red Hook, Brooklyn analyzed whether a former factory building could be converted into a for-profit multi-use arts center.
For a comprehensive history of EtM projects and studies on workspace, see Studies and Other Activities.
For further information or to discuss the possibility of a research or consulting engagement, contact david@exploringthemetropolis.org.