Ari Takata-Vasquez is a designer, strategist, and placemaker specializing in retail activation and small-business ecosystems. As the founder of Viscera Studio, she has led projects that transform vacant storefronts into vibrant cultural hubs, bridging the gaps between planning, design, and implementation. Her work spans economic development consulting, community engagement, public art, and real estate strategy. Ari’s insights are grounded in lived experience: she opened and ran her own brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Oakland, served on the board of SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning & Urban Research Association), and has been a consistent voice in the Bay Area and New York creative economies. She holds a Master’s in City Planning from UC Berkeley and a BA in Architecture from the University of San Francisco.