Cities make big investments in streetscapes, parks, and other downtown amenities. But Roger Brooks, head of the Destination Development Association, says you can bring energy and life to your downtown with just a small budget. Instead of focusing on large scale public projects, he advocates for low-cost gathering spaces, or plazas, which can be programmed…To read more — login/subscribe
Empty store windows can sabotage a downtown’s best efforts to create a bustling, vibrant scene that encourages visitors to stay and spend. While vacant storefronts have long been the bane of small cities, the problem spread during the pandemic. Downtown San Francisco, for instance, has experienced an exodus of retailers as workers proved slow to…To read more — login/subscribe
San Diego will become the latest city to allow IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) Smart City to install advertising screens downtown. In June, the San Diego City Council approved a plan to install at least 50 interactive kiosks on public sidewalks. The screens, vertical rectangles that are about eight feet tall, display content to help visitors…To read more — login/subscribe
A century after two small towns in Oregon lost their trolley service, the transit option is back, in a modified form. Thanks to $3 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Monmouth, OR (est. pop. 10,735), and neighboring Independence, OR (est. pop. 9,850), are now connected by a trolley. The trolley doesn’t…To read more — login/subscribe
Scaling up downtown walking tours Downtown walking tours are a popular way to connect locals and non-locals with all that downtown has to offer. The Downtown Alliance, which manages Lower Manhattan’s business improvement district, created a Walking Tour Incubator Grant Program to spur the development of creative new tours and support budding tour operators. The…To read more — login/subscribe
In Philadelphia (est. pop. 1,576,251), downtown leaders are trying to coax workers out of their home offices and back into their formal workplaces. They’re setting up activities in building lobbies and assuring commuters that it’s safe to return. In Arlington, VA (est. pop. 232,965), a business improvement district is courting workers with water bottles, exercise…To read more — login/subscribe
The Downtown Memphis Commission has been taking advantage of a state law aimed at fighting blight. The downtown organization makes occasional but aggressive use of the law, using it as a way to force owners of properties that are dangerous eyesores to take action. In one success story, the Downtown Memphis Commission used the Neighborhood…To read more — login/subscribe
Even before the pandemic, downtown Baltimore, MD (est. pop. 576,498), was struggling with economic challenges. Then came the lockdowns of 2020, and many small merchants were decimated. Now that the public health crisis is all but over, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is moving aggressively to bring independent retailers back. To lure entrepreneurs, the partnership…To read more — login/subscribe
Advocates for pedestrian safety are pushing for a simple fix that promises to make crosswalks safer for those traversing streets on foot: Forbid motorists from turning right on red lights. The concept is gaining momentum and also generating political pushback. Right-on-red turns are already illegal in the tourist zone of Honolulu. After successfully testing no-turn-on-red…To read more — login/subscribe
