Downtown Idea Exchange – Web Extras
Urban density doesn’t lead to coronavirus transmission, study says — The consensus was: Urban environments exacerbate the spread of Covid-19. There’s a small problem with that conclusion, however. It might not be true. Read a study from the Journal of the American Planning Association. ...
Regional trail connects to downtowns — Last year the Metropolitan Planning Commission released a plan update for the 54-mile Bridge to Bay Trail in the Port Huron region of Michigan. See the St. Clair County Trails Plan. ...
Public art turns chain link into attraction — An area of construction in Eugene’s Downtown Riverfront is surrounded by chainlink fence. The city will reimagine the fence as, “a canvas for temporary public work(s) of art. Learn more about the project and to see the RFQ. ...
July 23, 2020 — Hendersonville, NC, is reopening and welcoming customers back downtown. Prior to the pandemic, the city was a bustling place with a narrow Main Street, planters blooming with flowers, and strolling pedestrians. But it wasn’t always that way. Back in the 1970s, Hendersonville’s historic Main Street was so empty and so car-friendly…
July 9, 2020 — Downtown Walla Walla, WA, has reopened after the coronavirus shutdown, but with a number of new twists. A block near Main Street is closed to traffic and is now a plaza for outdoor dining. Main Street itself will close one night a week. Sidewalk liquor consumption is now allowed, within limits.…
Downtown offers loans to struggling merchants — As the coronavirus shut down its city center, Memphis, TN, faced a mass extinction of small merchants. The Downtown Memphis Commission responded quickly, handing out short-term loans totaling $260,000 to 46 businesses. See Memphis’ application materials for emergency loans.
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June 25, 2020 — Before the coronavirus shutdowns silenced downtown Orlando, FL, city officials say designating locations for drivers to pick up downtown patrons improved traffic flow during the late-night rush hour when bars closed and thousands of people tried to leave a small area at once. The hubs were open from midnight to 3…
May 28, 2020 — Before the coronavirus shutdowns, Santa Cruz, CA, was home to a bustling downtown. Some 4,000 workers had jobs in the district, and downtown’s mix of early-morning cafés and late-night bars created what Claire Gollogly, the city’s transportation planner, calls a "23-hour" city. There is a catch, though. Downtown Santa Cruz is…
May 14, 2020 — In Kennesaw, GA, a downtown cemetery is no longer just a final resting place. The Kennesaw City Cemetery, an eight-acre space that opened in 1863, is being transformed into a greenspace and recreation area. Under a plan approved unanimously by the city council in 2019, the graveyard will host fun runs,…
With their disruptions to traffic flow and parking, construction projects are the bane of downtown leaders. In a rare bright side to the coronavirus pandemic, some downtowns are using the economic pause to accelerate infrastructure improvements. In Pensacola, FL, Gulf Power has accelerated work on an $83 million project to improve the downtown power grid.…
As the coronavirus pandemic closed downtowns across North America, downtown Detroit’s biggest landlord tried something different. Bedrock, a major property owner in the struggling city’s commercial core, told tenants it wouldn’t collect their rent. The most generous rent forgiveness terms go to small businesses, while bigger companies can get smaller breaks. "It is going to…
April 16, 2020 — While downtown restaurants have been severely impacted by efforts to fight the coronavirus, two cities have gotten creative. In addition to offering take-out and delivery services, special partnerships are helping. In New Orleans, a supermarket chain is stepping up to offer support to struggling downtown restaurants. Rouses Markets is testing a…