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Knowing the market potential, offering incentives, creating appropriate zoning, and facilitating connections between the city, developers, and potential residents all play a role in creating more housing in downtown Ithaca, NY. “There are three major things we’ve done to stimulate development of residential,” says Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. “We’ve worked…Continue reading
Existing businesses weigh in on incubator services and tenants — This article in the April issue of Downtown Idea Exchange reflects the findings in A New Small City Business Incubator: A Business Community’s Attitudes and Desired Services.
...Incentives and rezoning stimulate downtown housing — Knowing your market potential, offering incentives, creating appropriate zoning to make growth possible, and facilitating connections between the city, developers, and potential residents all play a role in creating more housing downtown. In Ithaca, NY, several housing projects are underway, with a targeted effort to attract even more. View details on the tax abatement program offered to developers. ...
Downtown beauty can be a community effort — Main Street Gardnerville in Garnerville, NV, has an all-volunteer Flower Committee keeps downtown festooned with blossoms from spring through early fall. View the Adopt-a-Pot brochure and care instructions. ...
Partners cut ribbons on incubators — The Edge: Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation opened last September in downtown Tuscaloosa, AL. View The Edge’s Coworking Membership Application and Agreement. ...
Promoting a business contest, and a community — The It Starts Here Challange in Princeton, MN, included the following collateral materials, a website, Facebook page, radio spot, flyers, and press releases. Local and regional newspapers and radio stations contributed some advertising, as well. And the contest generated enough buzz to earn a slot on the evening news. Read the complete It Starts Here Challenge description and rules. ...
A week-long celebration of fashion in Philadelphia, PA, is promoted with Random Acts of Fashion, which take place on city streets and on social-media platforms. The creative promotions includes: Ambush makeovers for four individuals in the weeks leading up to fashion week. The makeover winners are “revealed” on the local morning talk show.Remote Red Carpet,…Continue reading
By securing the right space and offering a creative mix of programs, events, and office amenities, the Alliance for Downtown New York shows the way to draw entrepreneurs downtown. Co-working spaces, which provide access to office equipment, support, and networking opportunities, were a relatively new concept in the city when the Hive at 55 opened.…Continue reading
The smart math of mixed-use development — This months Perspectives column was based on the work of Joseph Minicozzi, which originally appeared at the Planetizen website. You may read the original article The smart math of mixed-use development now.
...Affordable housing crowdfunding pilot program — Our March article New online platforms support downtown projects includes information on a crowdfunding pilot program in Ottawa, ON, Canada. Click here to read the white paper Crowdfunding Affordable Housing. ...
Work space, programs, and events support start-ups — This month, we reported on the Alliance for Downtown New York’s business incubator, Hive at 55. You may also find our recent article Cowork incubators foster start-ups and fill vacant spaces useful. ...
New fund for arts businesses — The City of San Jose, CA, has established a Creative Industries Incentive Fund that provides financial support to commercial businesses rooted in the arts. View the program application and guidelines. ...
Tapping into the office-worker market — Despite the barrage of information on shoppers moving their spending online, a recent research report by the International Council on Shopping Centers shows a healthy amount of spending by office workers as well as opportunities for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses. Read the report Office Worker Retail Spending in a Digital Age. ...
In an effort to highlight downtown heritage, add visual interest, educate people about the community’s history, and draw visitors downtown, Chillicothe, MO, embarked on a mural program “Work on the murals started in the mid-1990s,” says Crystal Narr, director of Main Street Chillicothe. There are currently 17 murals and two “ghost signs,” which are business…Continue reading
When the Pasadena Playhouse District Association decided to embrace public art, the resulting utility box covers and crosswalk paintings were created with an eye toward aesthetics and practicality. It’s an approach that can work in any community. The utility box covers are done with vinyl wraps so that, “if graffiti or something else happens and…Continue reading
Five keys to downtown success — The report The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns contains five keys to success, which downtowns can use to measure their progress and shape their futures. We provide a summary in this issue of Downtown Idea Exchange. Here is the full report.
...Healthy living, healthy businesses, healthy budget — This article covers an ambitious project in Ottumwa, IA, which includes an incubator for local food-related businesses. For more articles on how the locally-grown movement is benefiting downtowns, click below. Local foods and culinary offerings basis of downtown tourism niche Bringing ‘locally grown’ downtown ...
A new plan for sustainable BID funding — The goal of many BIDs is to ensure a stable, long-term funding source, but if you don’t have a fair and equitable assessment plan or a good mechanism for collection, that can pose real problems. See the Downtown Boise Association Business Improvement District Assessment Billing Proposal. ...
Small cities continue to rise in popularity — U.S. Census data shows that cities in small metro areas are gaining population. Read the full report City Versus Suburban Growth in Small Metro Areas. ...
Investment in the arts means business — The nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts recently released its study Arts & Economic Prosperity IV. We provide encouraging data regarding the return on arts investment nationally, and on a local scale, in Downtown Promotion Reporter. You may read the report summary here. ...
Smart retailers reach out to smartphone shoppers — Increasingly, downtown retailers are learning how to engage smartphone owners and lure them away from Internet and big box shopping. Read the report The dawn of mobile influence: Discovering the value of mobile in retail. ...
Highlighting downtown’s heritage draws visitors — This article covers several ways that communities highlight downtown heritage, add visual interest, educate people about a community’s history, and draw visitors downtown. See the Chillicothe Missouri Mural Map See the Excelsior Springs walking tour map ...
Reducing fuel consumption at festivals and events — With rising fuel costs and an increasing awareness of sustainability, many large festivals are looking for ways to cut fuel consumption. Download The Power Behind Festivals: A guide to sustainable power at outdoor events. ...
Creating events that will appeal to women, and hosting them at times when women are most likely to attend, is a great way to highlight downtown’s assets to a demographic that might otherwise never explore the city center. In San Jose, CA, a new “HER city” after-work social series launched in August is successfully attracting…Continue reading
Grant program encourages targeted retail development — One successful way to encourage specific businesses to open exactly where they are needed downtown is to tie financial assistance to those locations. The following materials support the Louisville, KY, program detailed in this article.
Louisville South Fourth Street Retail Merchandising Plan
Louisville Retail Grant Program application
...Streets that work better for people, bikes, transit — The National Association of City Transportation Officials has released the Urban Street Design Guide. From bus rapid transit to bikeways and public seating, the guide showcases a new model for streets that work better for people, bikes, transit, and cities.Read it here. ...
Pop-ups becoming part of the annual holiday scene — When holiday pop-up programs first gained popularity, it was to add some vitality to vacant storefronts during the dark days of the Great Recession. However, the programs have proved valuable, not only in dressing up empty storefronts, but in boosting sales, drawing foot traffic downtown, generating media attention for the city center, and incubating new permanent businesses. For background on pop-up programs read “Pop-up shops make downtown more festive,” from the December 2011 issue of Downtown Promotion Reporter. ...
The Office of Arts, Culture and Tourism in New Haven, CT, is using art to fill downtown vacancies and revitalize neighborhoods while also transforming would-be entrepreneurs from hobbyists to small business owners. The department looked at models of how art addresses the issues of vacancy and revitalization in other cities, and found pop-ups interesting, but…Continue reading
A lack, or even perceived lack, of public restrooms downtown can lead to visitor dissatisfaction, as well as the more unsightly problem of public urination. Communities are finding that the expense of adding public restrooms is worthwhile because it keeps downtown cleaner, and provides visitors with a more comfortable experience, which in turn encourages them…Continue reading
