Urban Vibrancy Institute

The Urban Vibrancy Institute is a 501(c)(3) with a threefold goal of transforming downtown San Jose into a more vibrant, cleaner, and safer city, through extensive collaboration.

UVI started as a nonprofit called SJ SHIP Kits, which disseminated daily essentials such as food and toiletries to those in need during the pandemic.

Now, UVI promotes San Jose’s vibrancy through live music, city-wide art, and livening local storefronts to improve the economy. In 2021 and 2022, through its music and art program “Every Friday/Every Thursday,” it helped organize 140 live music events in collaboration with 200 local performers and had 60 vendors involved. The program saw a 20 percent boost in sales. The group has also been working on increasing the amount of color on buildings, especially by painting more murals.

The institute promotes safety through advocacy and action. Successes include establishing a downtown walking patrol in July of 2022, launching the security company Eagle Technologies Group in May of 2022, and establishing a video camera surveillance system. In terms of improving cleanliness, UVI advocated for tree trimming and street power washing and supported and helped with the implementation of the Big Belly garbage bin pilot project.

The organization’s large team of collaborators as of 2021 is composed of SJDA, SJSU, SJPD, City Hall, Google, Guadalupe River Conservancy, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Mezcal, Museum of Art, Team San Jose, and SPUR.

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