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Downtown Digest News • Web Extras

March 2018

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City encourages Tactical Urbanism —  The city of Fayetteville, AR, is encouraging citizen placemaking via workshops and a new Tactical Urbanism: Permitting Process, Application & Materials Guide.  And for more information, read the final report from the pilot mini-roundabout project. ...

Tongue-in-cheek marketing touts downtown’s live, work, play assets —  A series of humorous videos produced by the Chamber of Commerce in Chattanooga, TN, allow the city to boast about its high-speed Internet, strong job market, quality of life, and more. See them below. ...

A proven White Box model —  White Box programs are becoming increasingly popular as they prove effective at driving redevelopment in city centers nationwide.  Read the Milwaukee Choice Neighborhood Critical Community Improvements Plan.  The White Box Grant guidelines are on page 27. ...

Revitalization project yields flexible walk/bike/drive/event space —  The two-block retail corridor in downtown Kirkland, WA, was becoming less walkable as tree roots buckled sidewalk panels, creating unsightly tripping hazards. Thanks to  an ambitious renovation project, Park Lane is now a pedestrian-friendly gathering space, while remaining open to vehicles, as well. Watch a video about the project below. ...

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February 2018

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Planning, investment, and incentives help fill housing gap —  The city of Wausau, WI, is developing about 16 acres of waterfront after a lengthy public input and planning process. • See a PowerPoint presentation on the East Riverfront Redevelopment Area. • Read an application for Live It Up Wausau, which provides home purchase down payment assistance to employees who will work in the area. ...

Welcoming seniors and encore businesses downtown —  A growing number of ‘encore entrepreneurs’ are seeking to launch income-generating ventures that make a positive difference in their communities,” says a recent report from Encore.org.  Read the Encore Entrepreneurship and the Built Environment’s Executive Summary. ...

Tax breaks for development on vacant lots —  Lynchburg, VA, is considering tax incentives for new development in select areas of the city, including downtown.  See the full Incentive Plan for In-Fill Development. ...

Senior-friendly open spaces —  A report from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs recommends guidelines for senior-friendly open spaces. ...

Linking downtown’s parks —  The city of Bentonville, AK, is re-imagining its downtown open spaces to create a “Quilt of Parks,” each with a slightly different purpose. Download the report here....

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Mural Event Draws Crowds

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December 14, 2017 — Downtown Lynn, MA, is seeing a huge investment in revitalization via the arts. Recently, the 10-day Beyond Walls mural festival changed the face of downtown, and attracted more than 2,700 visitors to the festival’s grand finale. Beyond Walls founder Alfred Wilson says he is inspired by art-centric revitalization in cities like…To read more — login/sign up

 

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January 2018

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Business contest attracts “second-location” retailers —   The Full Forward Business Competition in Florence, SC, is attracting new retail to the city center. See details below: • Competition rules • Participant disclaimer • Mailer • Application form • Score sheet ...

Program preserves in-town residential neighborhoods —  To preserve the integrity of historically residential neighborhoods, the city of Iowa City, IA, and the University of Iowa launched the UniverCity Neighborhood Partnership Affordable Housing Program. View the UniverCity Neighborhood Partnership brochure. ...

Event aims to attract talent and retain businesses —  The new Discover Your Future Career & Lifestyle Day events  in St. Charles, MO,  target young professionals from the neighboring state of Illinois, and provide not only job, but quality-of-life and housing information meant to lure new employees to St. Charles and its thriving downtown. See links below for more information: • e-book • Introductory Discover Your Future video • Health Care industry video • Manufacturing/Defense industry video • Police/Fire industry video ...

Ten things residents want —  Safety, economic health, and education/enrichment opportunities are the top three things that residents nationwide want in their communities. That’s according to the NRC’s 2016 review of data from The National Citizen Survey. Watch a video about the report. ...

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December 2017

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Pilot project transforms medians into programmed green space — One goal of the 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan is to transform the downtown stretch of Biscayne Boulevard into an urban thoroughfare featuring a pedestrian promenade, an emphasis on public transit, and bicycle-friendly infrastructure. View the Biscayne Green Full Project presentation. ...

Ambitious retail recruitment program includes many facets — In 2015, the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (ON, Canada), realized that its “very lively and thriving hospitality district” was lacking in retail options. See their retail recruitment presentation and prospectus. ...

Study reveals motivations and barriers to downtown visits —The city of Scottsdale, AZ, is exploring ways to grow specific areas of the downtown. Marketing firm HAPI is creating a new campaign for the downtown that will include a new logo, website, color palette, ads, posters, and more. Read the Downtown Scottsdale Brand Perceptions Presentation. ...

Video series to promote downtown’s small businesses  — The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce will feature unique small businesses in brief 90-second videos which will be part of the Downtown Spotlight Video Series. See the proposed format for the video below. ...

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Repurposed Underpass Provides Connectivity and Public Gathering Space

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November 16, 2017 — A new park on eight acres beneath an Interstate 93 underpass now links two downtown neighborhoods in Boston, MA, while also providing an active urban space, cultural attraction, and parking amenity. Landscaped pedestrian boardwalks and bicycle paths along the Fort Point Channel create new connections between communities previously separated by highway…To read more — login/sign up

 

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November 2017

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Pop-up matches entrepreneurs with resources to spur business creation  — The JumpStart StartUp is a free pop-up program in Philadelphia, PA, offering entrepreneurs information and mentorship for every stage of business startup and growth. View promotional videos about the program. ...

Phased Complete Streets project improves safety, accessibility, and more  — Millburn, NJ, adopted a Complete Streets program in 2014, outlining a series of goals and objectives to make streets safer for pedestrians, improve traffic flow, address intersection congestion, and calm traffic where appropriate. See Millburn’s Complete Streets documents: • Downtown Streetscape and Pedestrian Safety Capital Improvement Plan • Township Committee Presentation • Complete Streets Resolution ...

Community surveys help identify needs of rapidly growing neighborhood — The NoMa Business Improvement District in Washington, D.C., is rapidly transitioning from mostly office space to a popular mixed-use area. Read an archive article about the NoMa BID’s successful pop-up, The Lobby Project. ...

Green projects manage stormwater, improve aesthetics  — Fayetteville, NC, built its first green street in 2014 along a two-block section of a downtown thoroughfare already slated for redevelopment. Watch the video below and see a brochure about the Fayetteville Green Street. ...

To make the most of federal buildings, partnership is essential  — Denise Turner Roth, former head of the U.S. General Services Administration, in an article from Governing magazine, stresses the importance of strong partnerships between local community leaders and the federal government. ...

Market study aims to attract new businesses, inform existing business owners  — A new market study in Mankato, MN, is doing double duty as both a new business attraction tool and as a business retention tool. Read City Center Mankato, Information You Need to Invest with Confidence....

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October 2017

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Walkability drives development, requires place management  — WalkUP Wake-UP Call reports have been generated for cities nationwide. See reports for the three cities below: • Washington, D.C. • Atlanta, GA • New York City ...

Grappling with short-term rentals  — The Neighborhood Planning Committee in St. Paul, MN, is working to balance the benefits of participating in the sharing economy with some of the negative impacts of short-term rentals via Airbnb and others. Read the full study memo. ...

Experts weigh in on event trends  — Downtown organizations constantly strive to keep events fresh and annual meetings engaging. Increasingly it is new technologies and the changing desires of attendees that are reshaping those events, say the authors of the special report, 12 Global Trends Shaping Events in 2017. (Registration is required.) ...

Fire hydrants transformed  — Everything from utility boxes, to dumpsters, to manhole covers, and outdated fire call boxes have been artfully decorated to beautify and engage the public realm. View the interactive map of artistic fire hydrants in Geneva, IL....

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