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The downtown district in West Palm Beach, FL, is home to three state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. A fourth dispensary is also set to open in the urban core — but downtown leaders say that’s enough pot shops for now. However, state law might tie the city’s hands. In November, the West Palm Beach Downtown Development…Continue reading
Downtowns big and small grapple with the challenge of building a roster of successful merchants. Many have taken a proactive approach by offering pop-up spaces and kiosksfor start-ups seeking a place to do business without a prohibitive upfront investment. Norfolk, VA, has been experimenting with pop-ups for several years. 2017 saw the launch of Selden…Continue reading
Every other week we share an article summary from Downtown Idea Exchange. Over the course of the year we’ve covered everything from business recruitment, to streetscape improvements, to placemaking, and more. To wrap up the year, we're highlighting five of our most popular posts. Creative, informative, and adaptable, they showcase some of the best work in…Continue reading
T-Mobile continues to provide grants to small and midsized cities as part of its Hometown Grants program. The mobile carrier recently released details about its latest round of 25 grant winners. The awards of up to $50,000 went to recipients around the country with a wide variety of ideas. One theme: All the winners are…Continue reading
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. The Texas Department of Transportation took advantage of the opportunity to encourage drivers to watch out for pedestrians. TxDOT notes that in the El Paso area last year, there were 181 traffic crashes involving pedestrians, resulting in 21 fatalities and 42 serious injuries. The Be Safe. Drive Smart. campaign…Continue reading
With the US economy increasingly driven by the tech sector, a growing number of downtown leaders in mid-sized cities are looking for ways to spur innovation locally. One example is in Fort Wayne, IN, where a rusting manufacturing hub was transformed into an innovation district and changed attitudes along the way. Jeff Kingsbury is a…Continue reading
Burlington, VT, was long known as a small, picturesque college town. But in recent years, Burlington has become afflicted by big-city problems, including crime and homelessness. Taking matters into its own hands, the Burlington Business Association developed a six point plan to ensure that the downtown is safe for residents, employees, and visitors. One important…Continue reading
A decade ago, the downtown organization in Sioux Falls, SD was looking for a way to boost business during January. Downtown Sioux Falls decided to try Burger Battle, a month-long contest that pitted downtown restaurants in a competition to create the best new burger. Participating eateries debuted a new burger, and diners would try the…Continue reading
Downtown leaders face a parking conundrum. On the one hand, urbanists have long preached that cities underprice parking at the expense of pedestrianism. Yet visitors and merchants often hate any hint of rising parking prices and more expensive parking tickets. Add to the mix, hourly downtown workers, grappling with inflation, and it’s more difficult than…Continue reading
Like many downtowns, Cleveland has struggled to adapt to post-pandemic patterns of commuting and visitation. As of September 2022, the city was getting 80 percent of the overall visits it experienced in 2019. And visits to office buildings had plummeted to just 61 percent of prepandemic levels. Given that harsh reality, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance…Continue reading
Grants, loans to Black entrepreneurs boost downtown — Memphis, TN, is a majority Black city whose developers are mostly white. The Downtown Memphis Commission has been taking strides to change that picture by making the ranks of property investors and merchants more diverse. Watch a video overview of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s award-winning program below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3zOowHCutU
...Imagining the future of downtown with community visioning — The community visioning session is a basic building block of community planning and downtown leadership. Read the full Community Visioning Handbook. ...
The Comprehensive Arts Strategy in St. Petersburg, FL, outlines a roadmap for increased collaboration and new marketing opportunities, and it points to both short-term and long-term priorities. Rather than continuing to go it alone, St. Petersburg’s arts institutions are developing shared resources for maps, ticketing, and brochures, along with strategies for boosting attendance during seasonal…Continue reading
