Greenville, MS and Columbus, MS are small cities in the same state, but they’re not obvious candidates for a marketing partnership. The towns are 160 miles apart, and Greenville’s autumn Delta Hot Tamale Festival and Columbus’ springtime Market Street Festival have almost no overlap in attendance. In other words, Columbus was just the kind of…Continue reading

 

To help reduce stormwater run-off on downtown streets, a popular Myrtle Beach, MD, parking lot is going green. Green parking lots incorporate permeable or semi-permeable paving, porous design techniques, and landscaping to reduce stormwater runoff. The city’s Infrastructure Project Manager Chris Miller says that the city will see multiple benefits. The new pavers will reduce…Continue reading

 

The proliferation of properties being marketed on Airbnb, VRBO, and other platforms has created concern in many municipalities. Critics say the short-term rentals disrupt neighborhood cohesiveness with constant turnover and occasional loud parties. Others point to rentals as contributing to rising real estate prices and a shortage of affordable housing. Traverse City, MI, recently banned…Continue reading

 

Downtown Denison, TX, hosts nearly 700 events a year, a brisk pace that generates a steady stream of activity. The hectic schedule has also forced downtown leaders to be mindful about how to pace the events so that they help rather than hinder downtown merchants. With so much happening in a small downtown, the challenge…Continue reading

 

In response to a spate of property crimes aimed at merchants, San Francisco city officials have launched a new grant program that aims to help small businesses recover from damage done to their storefronts by thieves and vandals. The Storefront Vandalism Relief Grant provides $1,000 to $2,000 to businesses that face the costs of break-ins…Continue reading