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In May, Philadelphia, PA, attempted to break the world record for the most people on a pub crawl. While the team at Guinness World Records tallied the attendance figures, Downtown Promotion Reporter looked at downtowns that drew record crowds with their own events. Livermore Downtown Inc. in Livermore, CA, organized a dance flash mob. The…Continue reading
Report quantifies downtown’s value citywide — As a supplement to its annual report, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, prepared a companion analysis, Downtown Baltimore: Its Impact on the City Economy. The report shows that the downtown more than carries its weight and propels the rest of the city forward.
...Gen Y still likes to shop in stores — A new report from the Urban Land Institute, Generation Y: Shopping and Entertainment in the Digital Age, looks at the preferences of this group and has good news for downtown retailers. ...
Community-wide sales benefit customers, businesses, and organizations — In Dowagiac, MI, a coordinated community-wide garage sale entices customers downtown. View the participant solicitation/registration form. ...
The Site Seeker program in Dayton, OH, allows the Downtown Dayton Partnership to provide a valuable service to members while also attracting new businesses to the city center. Tenants interested in moving downtown fill out an online form which asks how much square footage the business seeks, whether the owner wants to lease or buy…Continue reading
Business retention and creative sponsorships fund programs and services — The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority produces a Next Big Projects brochure highlighting development projects and providing a timeline and the dollar value of the work.
The Authority funds its work, in part, through a creative Legacy Partners Program. Here is a copy of the one page program contract.
...Real estate matchmaking provides service to BID members and prospective tenants — The Site Seeker program allows the Downtown Dayton Partnership to provide a valuable service to members while also attracting new businesses to the city center. This simple online application starts the process. ...
Program engages youth, beautifies utility boxes — The Out of the Box Mural project has been a success in downtown Stockton, CA. Here is the application form and utility box template. ...
Converting to two-way streets — A report from Louisville, KY, considers the advantages and disadvantages of converting downtown streets from one-way to two-way. Read the full report Downtown Louisville Two-Way Street Study. ...
Blended programming draws art lovers and locavores downtown — To help promote artisans and farmers, attract more visitors, and foster job growth, the Belfast Creative Coalition created a farm and arts trail. See the trail map. ...
Making lighter, quicker, cheaper improvements can mean something as simple as providing seats in public spaces. For example, when the public library in Wallkill, NY, wanted to activate green space around the building, it installed colorful lawn chairs along with signs inviting people to relax. “This effort changed the look and feel of the library…Continue reading
Vibrancy plan is a living, evolving document — Publication of the Stowe [VT] Vibrancy Report, was just the beginning as local groups honed the recommendations and moved many of them into the implementation phase. See the full Stowe Vibrancy Report.
...Providing simple seating drives change in public spaces — Making lighter, quicker, cheaper improvements can mean something as simple as providing seats in public spaces. See how Belfast, ME, is using seating to drive foot traffic through an expanding downtown business district. ...
Economic impact of winter weather — Severe winter weather in many parts of the country has taken a toll on downtown businesses. Learn how the Anchorage Downtown Partnership and others cope with snow removal. ...
New brand strengthens and grows local businesses — In 2010, Newport, VT, began promoting itself as being Genuine by Nature. That led to the 2011 roll out of the Newport. Fresh by Nature. campaign, which has helped local restaurants, farmers, and food producers to grow their businesses while strengthening the community brand and attracting complimentary new businesses. ...
Electronic tours highlight all that downtown has to offer — Whether you are promoting downtown to newcomers or to locals, an interactive electronic tour offers practical options. For example, Golden, CO, finds an interactive walking tour encourages locals to linger longer and explore new areas of the downtown. While in Midland, MI, a virtual tour enables potential visitors, residents, and business owners to explore the downtown before making an in-person visit. Take the virtual tour of downtown Midland. ...
The Better Block project got its start in Dallas when a group of community organizers, neighbors, and property owners partnered to revitalize a single commercial block for a weekend. Since that time, Better Block projects have spread around the world. These volunteer-based projects, often referred to as “living charettes” or even “Extreme Home Makeover for…Continue reading
Creativity is filling city centers with whimsical creatures, exciting acts, and potential customers who flock downtown to see buskers perform. The Ellensburg Downtown Association in Ellensburg, WA, networked with other busker festival producers and blended lessons learned with its own unique touches to create its highly successful Buskers in the Burg festival. The unique event…Continue reading
Giving residents a seat at the BID table — The rising popularity of urban living has pushed some business improvement districts to give downtown residents a “voice” in what has historically been a business-centered organization. See how the a SoHo BID in New York City handles assessments for residential members.
...Micro-condos becoming part of the urban housing mix — For suburban homeowners, small is in. And the same may well apply to in-town living, with those smaller spaces sparking updated ordinances and new incentives to attract developers. But just how small are these new micro-apartments? ...
Task force initiatives lead to reinvestment downtown — Nine initiatives of the Downtown Eugene Safety Task Force have created momentum for improvements in housing, employment, entertainment, and education. See the task force recommendations in full. ...
Busker events are gaining in popularity, part one — Creativity is filling city centers with whimsical creatures, exciting acts, and potential customers who flock downtown to see buskers perform. See the Buskers in the Burg online application from Ellensburg, WA. ...
Welcome gifts connect new movers with downtown — Providing new residents with municipal information, marketing materials, coupons, and other incentives to visit downtown businesses works well as impressionable movers seek to establish new brand loyalties. See the business recruitment and sign-up sheet used for the Fairfax, IA, Welcome Packet Program. ...
Unified theme weaves blogs, videos, contests, and more into new image for downtown — The 2013 Downtown Dreamers campaign was so successful that a 2014 Calling All Dreamers contest is now underway. See more about promoting the contest and details on the complete prize package. ...
Co-op ads save retailers as much as $4,000 — Downtown Madison, the central business improvement district in Madison, WI, provides high-value co-op advertising opportunities to members. See all of the co-op advertising and marketing opportunities. ...
The Merrimack Valley Sandbox has created an incubator model, which it says will boost the social and economic vitality of cities with populations under 200,000. The model is more inclusive than most, the staff works with everyone from high school students and their teachers to senior citizens, as well as entrepreneurs from varied ethnic and…Continue reading
Mentor, OH, identified social marketing as the best way to attract area millennials to explore the community and settle down. The city ran a commercial on Pandora online radio and an ad on Facebook. The Facebook ads had the potential to reach 400,000 Facebook users and were targeted to those aged 18 to 35 who…Continue reading
Generating community engagement for future projects — The 150th anniversary celebration in Evanston, IL, included the Evanston 150 project, a yearlong effort to gather stakeholder ideas for 10 significant improvement projects. The program was based on a similar initiative in Dubuque, IA. See the 10 big ideas from Dubuque, IA.
...Inviting millennials to settle down — Mentor, OH’s, multi-media advertising campaign, included a commercial and banner ad on Pandora online radio. Hear the commercial now. ...
Finding the best location for a downtown farmers market — The Downtown Farmers Curb Market in Lakeland, FL, operates right on the street in close cooperation with street-level businesses. ...
