Downtown Idea Exchange

Michigan City, IN (est. pop. 31,983), used a simple solution to address challenges with its homeless population: The city removed downtown park benches from sidewalks and moved them into storage. Problem solved? Not exactly. While the tactic does encourage problem residents to move on, taking away public seating doesn’t address the underlying causes of homelessness.…To read more — login/subscribe

 

It’s a challenge for cities of all sizes: What to do with the outdated warehouses and abandoned factories on the fringes of the core commercial district? In Houston, a group of entrepreneurs has an intriguing solution. Developers hope to transform the city’s East End into a walkable, mixed-use district. While the area has welcomed new…To read more — login/subscribe

 

The Chicago suburb of Evanston, IL (est. pop. 75,538), has managed to slow traffic, add bike lanes, and generally make its streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Thanks to a yearslong initiative aimed at forcing motorists to drive more slowly, traffic-related injuries plunged by half over the past decade. In one sign of success, Evanston…To read more — login/subscribe

 

The pandemic created new challenges, opened fresh opportunities, and shifted the role of downtowns. In many ways, downtowns are as important as ever, according to The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities, a new report by the International Downtown Association (IDA). “While geographically small — on average 3 percent of all citywide land —…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Since its launch in 2006, the Big Bright Light Show in Rochester, MI (est. pop. 12,978), has become an annual extravaganza. During the event, store windows are decorated and downtown buildings are covered in more than one million colored lights. “The lights are not an event. They are economic development at its core,” KristiTrevarrow, executive…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Soliciting funding for downtown projects is part art, and part science. To help grant seekers refine requests, the authors of Winning Grants Step by Step advise answering a series of queries. Those questions, according to authors Tori O’Neal McElrath, Lynn Kanter, and Lynn English are: What community need does the program or service that the…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Digital signs approved for downtown Large-format digital billboards were on display in downtown Baltimore, MD, in December. The signs showcase local businesses, organizations, artwork, and events. The Downtown Partnership says thatanother nine billboards will be added in 2024. The billboards are in the newly created North Harbor Area of Special Sign Control, which is located…To read more — login/subscribe

 

• Downtown works to right-size parking system
• Marketing addresses many needs
• An imperfect solution: city removes public benches to clear out homeless population
• Developers transform fading warehouse district into walkable neighborhood
• How one city made its streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians
• Despite challenges, downtowns still thriving
• Small-city light show draws big crowds
• Six key questions to answer when seeking grants
• Idea Exchange

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For downtown leaders in cold climates, January is a time to hunker down and wait for the spring thaw. The rush of holiday events is over, and many downtowns won’t ramp up attraction efforts until warmer weather arrives. But if you want to spur some activity during the snowy time of year, take heart: Northern…To read more — login/subscribe

 

In Iowa City, IA (est. pop. 75,231), the Iowa City Downtown District is testing novel ways to serve existing merchants and recruit new ones. In one successful strategy, the Downtown District runs its own delivery service. It leases a vehicle and pays a driver, and deliveries are free from downtown merchants to customers within a…To read more — login/subscribe