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Luka Lakuriqi

I'm using design to improve & promote my neighborhood.

Published

August 26, 2016

Neighborhood

Mayfair

Cohort

Fall 2015

CPI sparked Luka’s enthusiasm for improving and celebrating his neighborhood of Mayfair, which he has always loved.

While participating in the program, CPI staff connected him with Pete McDermott (Spring 2012), a Citizen Planner from Mayfair. It turned out that Mayfair CDC and the Mayfair Business Improvement District (BID) were both hiring directors, and Pete encouraged Luka to apply.

In June 2016, he was hired as the Executive Director of Mayfair CDC!

In his new role, he is able to put both his Citizen Planner Certificate and his degree in architecture and design to good use.

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Thanks to the CPI, I knew who to call when it was time to revitalize the market and I knew what approaches had been taken elsewhere in the city. I realized that social media is a powerful tool for community centers.

Luka has even put his CPI final project to use: at the end of his Spring 2015 course, he designed a series of postcards celebrating Mayfair. The cards are now in production and for sale in three shops along Frankford Avenue in Mayfair!

An black and white illustration of the Mayfair Diner. A green and white illustration of the Mayfair neighborhood. A black and white illustration of rowhomes.
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Current projects include designing renderings for Storefront Improvement Projects on Frankford Avenue, rehabbing vacant properties through the conservatorship process, and the biweekly Mayfair Night Market (June – October) for which Luka designed a new logo and increased turnout through the use of social media!

A promotional logo for the Mayfair Night Market. Groups eating and drinking around stalls at the Mayfair Night Market. Two people holding their drinks at the Mayfair Night Market. Three people pose for a picture at the Mayfair Night Market.
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 On December 4th, Luka organized Mayfair’s Christmas village. The smell of cinnamon and hot chocolate filled the streets, and residents had the impression that the fairy Christmas markets of Europe had landed in Philadelphia.
A man holds a microphone in a crowd of people in front of a Christmas tree.

Luka speaks at the Christmas Market & Village event he organized.

If you’re go­ing to im­prove a neigh­bor­hood, why not im­prove the neigh­bor­hood you live in? May­fair’s charm is having a small-town feel in a big city. Your home is within walking distance from any business. We want Mayfair to keep its small town magic.

Luka’s educational background is in design and architecture and he was always intrigued by the power of design to change lives. Thanks to CPI, Luka was able to identify both the fact that his own neighborhood needed improving and that he had the power to help. He now devotes his energy to promoting Mayfair’s vitality.

CPI has helped me recognize the qualities of Mayfair beyond the “I’m home” feeling. The program has been wonderful in helping people detect the strengths of their communities and providing them with the tools to enhance them.

Thanks to the CPI course, which allowed Luka to “meet the right people”, he is now part of a wonderful group of people at the Mayfair CDC who inspire energy in the City.

Illustrated proposal for the intersection of Frankford and Cottman Avenues.

Proposal for the intersection of Frankford and Cottman Avenues which the Mayfair CDC hopes will help revitalize the heart of the neighborhood.