Street music can be enjoyable, but complicated to provide — Classic holiday songs performed by live musicians can add a festive touch to downtown streets during the holiday season. But you must adhere to the music licensing requirements or you can face some stiff penalties. Below is information from ASCAP and BMI, two of the more prominent music licensing groups.
ASCAP licensing help
BMI music licensing for towns, counties, municipalities, and other local governmental entities
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Efforts underway to attract ultra-high-speed Gig Internet networks downtown — Residents, businesses, and municipalities everywhere are seeking cheaper, faster, more reliable Internet services. Rather than waiting for service providers to come to them, some communities are reaching out to express their needs, quantify their customer base, and see what they can do to facilitate the arrival of more accessible, faster Internet service.
Click here to view the RFQ and instructions for submitting a municipal addendum in Connecticut.
For more information about the effort in Three Lakes, WI, read Broadband and economic development go hand in hand from the March 2013 issue of Downtown Idea Exchange.
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Temporary project drives permanent change — The typical Better Block Project lasts a day, or at most, a weekend. These volunteer-based projects, create on a temporary basis the infrastructure improvements, business mix, amenities, and programming that residents would like to see on a more permanent basis. In St. Joseph, MO, this grassroots tactic has been so successful that it has become an annual event.
Click here to view the Better Block of St. Joe vendor application.
For more information about Better Blocks projects, read Demonstration project makes downtowns better from the April 2014 issue of Downtown Idea Exchange.
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Facade improvement programs produce real economic benefits, study says — Increases in new customers, rental incomes, and property values were seen in a recent study of the impact of facade improvement programs. Read the study, An Analysis of Downtown Storefront Improvements.
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Enhancing retail options in underserved communities, lessons for all —
A new report from the Urban Land Institute explores factors that hamper retail development in some lower-income communities and offers solutions to overcome limited shopping options. Read the full report here, Retail in Underserved Communities.
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Disaster recovery tool kit — The International Economic Development Council has created a new resource to help “disaster-impacted” communities recover in meaningful ways. Click here for the full report, Leadership in Times of Crisis.
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“Legacy cities” can revitalize by building on assets — Enduring assets such as downtowns, parks, transit systems, and academic and cultural institutions are the key to revitalization for struggling industrial cities, says the report Regenerating America’s Legacy Cities from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
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Multi-faceted campaign aims to bring residents downtown — To overcome negative perceptions and geographical challenges that might discourage new residents, the city of Dundalk, MD, launched a branding campaign backed by an ambitious public engagement process, and featuring a new website, media partnerships, public events, incentives for home purchases, and more. View the My Town promotional video produced as part of the Dundalk: Live the Unexpected branding effort here.
My Town promotional video
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Turnkey gift card program can be customized for each downtown — A new gift card program in Fredericksburg, VA, drew $50,000 in sales this past holiday season. Finding the right card, customizing it to the downtown, and launching it with a community-wide art contest all contributed to the program’s success.
Web page no longer available.
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Restaurants keep pace with consumer preferences — Local sourcing, environmental sustainability, and healthful kids’ meals keep gaining steam as the top trends on restaurant menus in 2015 according to the National Restaurant Association’s annual What’s Hot Culinary Forecast. See the report here.
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Giant shredder helps ring in New Year — December 28th is Good Riddance Day. A few days before New Year’s Eve the Times Square Alliance invites New Yorkers to bring mementos of bad memories, or to write their memories on the paper provided and then “shred it and forget it.” Watch a brief video below.
Good Riddance Day in New York City
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