Buda City, TX, is using grants to encourage local business owners and event producers to market their activities to a geographically broad audience. The Downtown Co-Marketing Reimbursement Grant will pay up to 50 percent of event marketing costs up to $3,000. To qualify, events must be hosted within the Buda Main Street Program boundaries and…Continue reading

 

A small entertainment zone — just one block long — is changing attitudes and drawing crowds to San Francisco’s Front Street. In 2024, the Front Street District became one of the first locations in California to allow outdoor consumption of alcohol on public streets. The early results have been entirely positive, says Robbie Silver, president…Continue reading

 

Each fall, the City of Grand Rapids, MI, hosts ArtPrize. Over 16 days, art is exhibited in galleries, storefronts, parks, museums, and other venues. Through public and juried voting, cash prizes are awarded. With almost 800,000 people visiting downtown to view and vote on artwork, the city decided to ask them what they would like…Continue reading

 

Many downtown leaders have developed a love-hate relationship with dogs and their owners. On the downside, pet waste can pose a smelly nuisance and a source of constant complaints. But on the upside, dog owners help activate public spaces. After all, dogs need to be walked multiple times per day, so dog owners are out…Continue reading

 

Hundreds of downtown events helped turnaround a public plaza long plagued by drugs and violence. After years of trying to enforce its way to a safer UN Plaza, the City of San Francisco tried a different approach. The focus is now on attraction and activation. A centerpiece of the park’s revival is a 13,000-square-foot skating…Continue reading

 

In San Francisco’s Yerba Buena district, the organization once budgeted a significant sum to host splashy events. Now, the organization invests in modest events such as an art and makers market, walking tours, and bracelet-making sessions. In San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter Association once hosted a Mardi Gras festival that was the largest such event…Continue reading