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February 13, 2020 — In Lakewood, CO, a four-mile long art trail is winning kudos for bringing new energy to a long-neglected neighborhood. The 40 West ArtLine includes 70 works of art, among them interactive sculptures, murals along the walking and biking path, and installations on fences that border the ArtLine. Modeled in part on…To read more — login/sign up
When the Third Street Promenade in downtown Santa Monica sought insights on how to keep visitors coming downtown and lingering longer, the answers were clear: More seating, more color, and more interactive elements. Central to those changes has been the addition of sleek, modern, self watering planters. The planters are used to define seating areas,…
January 30, 2020 — By all measures, the pop-up retail program in downtown Memphis, TN, is a success. However, Brett Roler, vice president of planning and development for the Downtown Memphis Commission, cautions that downtown leaders who expect instant success are likely to be disappointed. Roler says his first hurdle was persuading landlords to take…To read more — login/sign up
January 16, 2020 — Pratt Street is a brick thoroughfare in the heart of downtown Hartford, CT. For all its promise, Pratt Street long has been bereft of pedestrian traffic. When the mayor proposed closing the street to cars, downtown leaders countered that further reducing activity on the street was the wrong approach. Instead, the…To read more — login/sign up
To bring back economic activity, hurricane-battered downtown broadens focus — In 2009, the Cedar Rapids Downtown District responded and rebuilt after flooding impacted nearly 450 downtown businesses. Read the archive article, "Campaign helps to recover and rebuild." ...
Partnering with event venue spurs downtown spending — See how the Downtown Windsor BIA partners with a local comic convention in the archive article, "Leveraging existing events to draw visitors." ...
Trends shaping downtown retail — The team at Stores, the magazine of the National Retail Federation has published its annual consumer trends predictions for the year ahead. ...
Two downtowns team up to promote assets — The cities of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, have established a new social media presence — Downtown Sault Ste. Marie Squared — as a way of promoting events and businesses in each city. Watch a brief video on the benefits of co-marketing below. ...
December 26, 2019 — Every other week you receive the summary of an article from Downtown Idea Exchange. Over the course of the year we’ve covered everything from business recruitment, to streetscape improvements, to placemaking. To wrap up the year, we’re highlighting five of our favorite posts. Creative, informative, and adaptable, they showcase some of the…To read more — login/sign up
December 19, 2019 — In an effort to bring shoppers downtown and compete with nearby areas, a Canadian improvement district dusted off a classic downtown retail promotion and added some aggressive marketing techniques. The Glebe Spree, hosted by the Glebe Business Improvement Area in Ottawa, ON, Canada, runs from November 15 through December 31. Shoppers…To read more — login/sign up
Diversity, demographics will be driving forces for downtown development, study says — Demographic trends create both tailwinds and new challenges for downtown development, according to the 2020 Global Trends Report by Progressive Urban Management Associates and the International Downtown Association. ...
Pop-up retail fills vacancies, enlivens streetscape — By providing small spaces to startup retailers for free, Downtown Memphis has helped incubate such businesses as a reseller of collectible sneakers and a purveyor of custom soaps. View the Open on Main guidelines. ...
Volunteer management best practices — Read the Michigan Main Street Association volunteer tool kit....
December 5, 2019 — Shared kitchens are gaining popularity in big cities and small towns. They often fill long-vacant space, act as specialized business incubators, and draw visitors. "Think of it like co-working space for small food businesses," says Corinne Tso, head of Cook Tucson. Food-prep rules in most places require food products for sale…To read more — login/sign up
November 21, 2019 — Frank LaTorre remembers when the price tag for the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge was just $3 million. It was back in the 1990s, and the idea was to turn the Route 195 span over the Providence River into a walkway connecting the urban core. By the time the project was finally…To read more — login/sign up
Holiday drawing drives traffic to downtown shopping district — The Glebe Spree, hosted by the Glebe Business Improvement Area (BIA) of Ottawa, ON, Canada, is a program that runs from November 15 through December 31. Shoppers receive blank passports, and participating merchants stamp the passports each time a shopper makes a $15 purchase. Watch the Glebe Spree promotional video below. ...
Downtown opens doors to private restrooms — Starting with 29 publicly accessible restrooms Minneapolis aims to reach 100 by encouraging private business and property owners to open their facilities during normal business hours and by adding portable facilities in locations where gaps exist. For more ideas, read the archive article, “To make downtowns more attractive, embrace the power of public restrooms.” ...
November 7, 2019 — In Battle Creek, MI, generous incentives are attracting tenants to the downtown district. Battle Creek Unlimited Inc. offers subsidies of as much as $200,000 to breweries and restaurants. New Holland Brewing Co. landed the first incentive; it used the money toward a $1 million renovation of an 18,000-square-foot building. The total…To read more — login/sign up
