During the warmer months, many communities offer outdoor movies in downtown parks and plazas. Downtown drive-ins are also gaining in popularity. In Columbus, OH, a downtown market collaborated with a local film center to offer movies shown on a 30-foot tall screen in the market’s parking lot each month. Guests could tune in to the…Continue reading
In response to more than three decades of population loss and commercial decline, the city of Birmingham, MI, committed to building a new identity as "The Walkable Community."A long-range vision, along with traffic-calming measures, ordinance changes, and more over the past two decades has seen the downtown’s Walk Score reach 92, a "walker’s paradise." "We…Continue reading
City centers are offering cookies as an incentive to get customers into more downtown businesses during the holidays. In Oak Park, IL, a cookie walk began as part of the annual Winterfest nearly a decade ago, but quickly became the signature event. "People love getting 50-plus cookies and candies," says Shanon Williams, marketing director for…Continue reading
A new program in Indianapolis, IN, highlights downtown as a safe area while also educating the public about safety and who to contact with questions and concerns.Downtown Indy collaborated with the city’s police department to create safety cards that highlight the joint actions of the two organizations, as well as providing phone numbers for non-emergencies…Continue reading
To bring the independently owned, small business scene front and center in Pasadena, CA, the Old Pasadena Management District has run several cooperative ad campaigns focusing on small business owners rather than on their products and services. Old Pasadena has roughly 300 shops and restaurants downtown, and about 75 percent of them are independents, but…Continue reading
Partnerships between cities and downtown organizations allow the pooling of resources, avoid duplication of effort, and can guide redevelopment and activation of urban parks in the direction most beneficial for downtown residents, workers, and visitors. That’s been the case in Seattle, WA, where the Downtown Seattle Association and its Metropolitan Improvement District manage two of…Continue reading
To increase the appeal and draw more people downtown for Small Business Saturday, Morgan Hill, CA, created "street scenes." Individual parking spaces in the heart of downtown were transformed by local businesses into activity areas. One parking space was transformed with a holiday theme and featured Santa Claus posing for photos with children. Another spot…Continue reading
What has been described as, "a worn-out, wasted space," and, "a symbol of urban decay" in downtown Newark, NJ, is now an award-winning "outdoor living room" for city center residents, employees, and visitors. To first redevelop, and later manage, the space, the nonprofit Military Park Partnership was formed. "We also negotiated a 24-year lease of…Continue reading
When it comes to radically changing the downtown streetscape, it doesn’t get much lighter, quicker, cheaper, or more accessible than temporary installations of inflatables. Event producers are offering giant waterslides, obstacle courses, and even public art installations of the air-filled variety. Better yet, some are partnering with nonprofit organizations, giving downtown groups opportunities to raise…Continue reading
Offering a downtown leadership program provides an opportunity to engage active, energetic young people in downtown revitalization efforts and to gain their input in creating a more desirable downtown for their demographic. The Downtown Akron Partnership in Akron, OH, established its Emerging Leaders program in 2010. The group, which aims to increase the number of…Continue reading
