Utilizing the space left by the former Half Price Books on Shattuck Avenue, Zero Empty Spaces, an organization aiming to reclaim empty commercial real estate spaces for communities across the nation, hosted an evening of events called “Prescribing Connection” last Thursday.

The event, hosted within the artistic space cultivated by Zero Empty Spaces, featured a panel on “Social Prescribing in Action.”

“Social prescribing” allows health professionals to prescribe nonmedical interventions to patients, often focused on addressing mental health or chronic diseases, according to Social Prescribing USA executive director and cofounder Alan Siegel. These “prescriptions” can include engaging with the arts, nature, movement, volunteerism and social connection.

“Social prescribing is a newer term that’s used to refer to helping patients connect to programs that can help their social needs, rather than always relying on medication or traditional medical prescriptions,” said Nandini Singh, coalition director of the Northern California Coalition for Social Connection at UCSF.

Thursday’s panel featured participants such as Jackie Ourman of the Social Connection Collective and Values Aligned Therapy, Siegel and Singh, as well as Evan Snow, co-founder and managing partner of Zero Empty Spaces.

“This retail marketplace is expanding beyond just painters,” Snow said. “So now those venues serve as third and fourth places for events … We’re operating as a fourth place where, beyond it just being a place to hang out, there’s actual programming and events.”

According to Snow, the event aimed to raise awareness about the social prescribing movement and help “connect people with community-based resources and meaningful activities.”

In addition to the panel discussion, last Thursday saw art, live music and conversation, which drew more than 100 people to the space, according to Snow in an email.

Zero Empty Spaces now has multiple locations across four states, according to its website. Snow said it was able to open its space in Downtown Berkeley with the help of community stakeholders Visit Berkeley, District 4 Councilmember Igor Tregub and the Office of Mayor Adena Ishii.

“Zero Empty Spaces is an initiative that we started in 2019 to activate vacant commercial real estate spaces to create affordable working artist studios and retail marketplaces for artists and creatives to be able to have spaces outside of their home to create, collaborate, get discovered and sell with 0% commission,” Snow said. “The Downtown Berkeley location is our first California space.”

The project, which was in the works for about two years, took over one of the many empty storefronts in Downtown Berkeley, particularly on Shattuck Avenue.

Zero Empty Spaces’ acquisition of the space fell in line with an ongoing city initiative to revitalize Downtown and fill vacancies in order to create a more vibrant neighborhood.

On Nov. 7, Zero Empty Spaces will host the Berkeley location’s grand opening and ribbon cutting from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.