Like many downtowns, Santa Monica, CA (est. pop. 89,951), has been beset by complaints about public safety and challenged by an exodus of retail tenants. As homelessness and drug use became more prominent in recent years, one building owner placed a sign on a vacant storefront on Third Street Promenade that read “Santa Monica Is…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtowns have long struggled with crime and homelessness, but those problems have intensified in recent years. Homeless populations have soared, drug overdoses have spiked, and organized shoplifting has mushroomed. Now, downtown leaders are coalescing around the idea that lenient laws, indifferent enforcement, and drug decriminalization bear much of the blame for a crime wave in…To read more — login/subscribe
The Hollywood Partnership is a nonprofit business improvement district that provides a variety of services to businesses along the famous Hollywood Boulevard. In 2022, the BID took a creative step: It launched Hollywood Partnership Ventures, a 501(c)(3) organization doing business as Hollywood Partnership Community Trust. The Community Trust spinoff was a response to financial reality…To read more — login/subscribe
After pedestrians died on their streets, officials in Richmond, VA (est. pop. 229,395), and Stamford, CT (est. pop. 136,197), wanted to move quickly to protect pedestrians. Both borrowed techniques from the tactical urbanism playbook of cheap but effective responses to obvious problems. In Richmond, two Virginia Commonwealth University students were fatally struck and killed by…To read more — login/subscribe
Somerset, KY (est. pop. 11,998), unveiled a new wayfinding system that features directional and informational signs throughout downtown streets. The signs carry the city’s brand and logo, and their role is both practical and less obvious revealing connections, highlighting diversity, and demonstrating community pride. The network was launched in Somerset’s downtown core with plans to…To read more — login/subscribe
Albuquerque, NM (est. pop. 561,006), has joined a growing trend toward waiving bus fares. The city council moved in late 2023 to remove all fees for transit services provided by ABQ Ride. The move follows a two-year pilot program, numerous data reports, and feedback from community members. “Since the Zero Fare Pilot Program began, we…To read more — login/subscribe
In a handful of downtowns, such as Berkeley, CA, and Charlottesville, VA, college campuses and downtowns have grown up together over a period of decades. But most downtowns have to work to bring in college campuses and their steady streams of students. Sometimes, the strategy works — expanding colleges can help fill downtown vacancies while…To read more — login/subscribe
Food tourism continues to grow Traveling to a destination specifically for its food and beverages is on the rise. The World Food Travel Association defines food tourism as “Traveling for a taste of place to get a sense of place.” In 2019, the global culinary tourism market was valued at $1.1 billion and is projected…To read more — login/subscribe
Both Vancouver, BC (est. pop. 2,683,000), and Vancouver, WA (est. pop. 194,509), are known for their rainy weather. And both downtowns have unveiled umbrella share programs for visitors and residents who find themselves caught in the rain. In Vancouver, WA, Vancouver’s Downtown Association has operated the Umbrella Share Program for two years, says Michael Walker,…To read more — login/subscribe
