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
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
In his 40-plus years working with nonprofit organizations, David Feehan, president of Civitas Consultants, has learned a thing or two about how downtown chief executives can ensure that the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of their organizations are on course. The February issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter includes the first five of his 10…Continue reading
In Durango, CO, the city, the business improvement district, a local college, and the tourism office have created a new welcome center that addresses each of their marketing needs, and more importantly, the needs of visitors to the downtown. “In the first year of operation, we are going to be well over 100,000 visitors, so…Continue reading
In an effort to balance sidewalk safety, downtown aesthetics, and small business owners’ desire to increase outreach to customers, many communities are re-examining portable signage ordinances. Because digital signage has become more affordable, it is also increasing in popularity and must be taken into consideration when drafting new regulations. The February issue of Downtown Idea…Continue reading
For Downtown Long Beach Associates, the secret to hosting over a dozen major downtown events each year, is to act as an event backer. The Downtown Event Sponsorship program makes $15,000 available to sponsor downtown events with funds that are awarded in amounts of up to $2,500. A multi-step application process ensures that all sponsored…Continue reading
The Small Business Saturday event launched by American Express in 2010 has been a boon to independent retailers in many communities each November. But in Concord, NC, downtown stakeholders were not content to mark this event only on the Saturday following Black Friday. Instead, the Concord Downtown Development Corporation carefully crafted a campaign to celebrate…Continue reading
An innovative pilot program in Cleveland, OH, is providing affordable artist housing while also building a stronger creative economy for the city. The Artist in Residence Program is a joint venture between the Northeast Shores Development Corporation and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Several tools have been developed to attract artists and help…Continue reading
