The annual Downtown Lifestyle Tour in Wilmington, NC (est. pop. 106,476), has been offered for the past five years. The goal is to, "introduce people to the unique housing options that downtown offers and to promote how great it can be to live here," says Wilmington Downtown, Inc. The tour is one effort within the…Continue reading
In an effort to fill vacant downtown space, the Downtown Memphis Commission took the contrarian approach of eliminating some traditional incentives for new businesses.Leslie Gower, vice president of marketing and communications explains in the February issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter. "We worked with our broker community regarding trends, and what they are hearing in terms…Continue reading
With the new year, comes an increased focus on business retention in many city centers. This trend, noted in Downtown Idea Exchange’s annual outlook article, reflects both the challenges of recruitment and the greying of business owners in many areas.Baby Boomers are retiring says Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center.…Continue reading
Several of the experts who contributed to Downtown Idea Exchange’s annual Looking Ahead article cited a growing emphasis on nurturing startups in cities of all sizes. The first step, they say, is recognizing a new breed of non-traditional entrepreneur. Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that small business startups in rural communities are more…Continue reading
Despite being adjacent to the redeveloped riverfront, the Clinton Presidential library, and a sizable convention center, the traditional main street in Little Rock, AR, was largely neglected. The main street did have one important asset: a professional repertory theater. "But," says Mayor Mark Stodola, "they had no friends, they had no neighbors. I knew that…Continue reading
While a tree lighting, caroling, and holiday sales attract visitors, they happen only on certain days throughout the holiday season. However, an attractive holiday light display can be activated in mid-November and add to the festive atmosphere and drawing power of downtown every evening through January. One of the best-known examples of this type of…Continue reading
The typical facade improvement program just wouldn’t do in Rawlins, WY, where 62 of 95 downtown businesses, totaling 62,000 square feet of facades, are undergoing grant-funded improvements all at once. "We decided to try it a different way," says Pam Thayer, executive director of Rawlins Downtown Development Authority (DDA)/Main Street. Participating property owners signed easement…Continue reading
In Akron, OH, work is underway to redefine the footprint of the city’s many neighborhoods. "What we’re doing is looking atall of our city neighborhoods — Akron has 25 semi-official neighborhoods, with downtown being one of them," says Jason Segedy, the city’s director of planning and urban development. The project is essential, Segedy says, because…Continue reading
Downtown Boulder, Inc. has slowly amassed a collection of behind-the-scenes stories about local business owners that have become the core of a robust Shop Local campaign, and several themed breakout campaigns throughout the year."People are really interested in everyday people and fun questions, so we thought maybe that would work for our small business owners,…Continue reading
The Laneway Project in Toronto, ON, Canada, is an innovative urban design and planning organization working to change the way people view and use city center laneways, or alleys. The project brings together diverse stakeholders and establishes community stewards to ensure the ongoing success of individual projects. Re-positioning alleys as public space has many benefits…Continue reading
