Check Out The FOCUS Lab in Downtown Troy

The Downtown Troy Business Improvement District proudly commemorated the opening of FOCUS Lab (19 Third Street) with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 16 at 2:30 p.m.

The FOCUS (Future of Cities & Urban Sustainability) Lab is an exhibit and education space that explores sustainable and inclusive community design solutions. Through a rotating series of exhibitions and interactive stations for young people, the Lab seeks to engage citizens of all ages into co-designing what the future of their city should look like. This space is a room of dialogue and community, where people come together to create shared visions of urban resilience.

The FOCUS Lab is operated by the Future of Small Cities in partnership with the City of Troy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. The current exhibition is “To Flow Both Ways: The Past, Present, and Future of Hudson Waterfronts” up through October.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing this exhibition space to Downtown Troy,” said Refi Larson, founder of the Future of Small Cities Institute. “I’ve long dreamed of creating an “Urban Room” where citizens can debate the future of their cities and talk about sustainable design in a way that is accessible to everyone. The Future of Small Cities is all very excited to be teaming up with the Children’s Museum to bring school programs and events for young people back to Troy and Rensselaer County. The FOCUS Labis meant to be a space for all.”

“Troy is a Hudson River city that’s constantly evolving and primed for tremendous growth,” said Geoff Brault, Executive Director, Downtown Troy Business Improvement District. “But to best plot where we’re going, it’s vital that we know where we’ve come from. The FOCUS Lab does a wonderful job of curating information about our history while offering high-level thinking about our future, making it an extremely valuable addition to our downtown.”

The FOCUS Lab is currently open to the public on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and available for private booking for meetings and events. For additional information, visit foculslivinglab.com and follow FOCUS Lab on Facebook and Instagram: @futureofsmallcities.