Downtown Idea Exchange

Each month downtown leaders turn to Downtown Idea Exchange for practical news reports, how-to information, and hundreds of real-world examples of how downtowns are growing and prospering.

 


Life returns to normal across economy — except in office buildings

April 1, 2022
As the severity of COVID-19 fades, American life has begun to return to normal. Americans are going to restaurants, movies, concerts, and sporting events. They’re shopping and vacationing. But they aren’t going back to offices. “Everyone’s moving back to the city. They just don’t want to go to the office,” says Sonny Kalsi, co-CEO of…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Idea Exchange: Quick Tips and News from Around the Country

April 1, 2022
City launches downtown attraction plan Like many cities, Boston is struggling to restore the downtown to its former vibrancy. To do that, city officials have announced a five part plan aimed at bringing workers back, attracting tourists and conventions, and embracing the reality of a smaller downtown workforce. The components include: Making better use of…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Downtown Idea Exchange, April 2022

April 1, 2022
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Solution to “stale” zoning? City considers form-based code

March 1, 2022
Northampton, MA (est. pop. 28,516), is working through an overhaul of zoning rules that would implement a form-based code in downtown and an adjacent neighborhood. It’s a step that’s gaining popularity nationwide as proponents of “missing middle” housing call for more flexibility in the types of property uses cities allow in and near downtowns —…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Downtown enacts three-pronged response to pandemic downturn

March 1, 2022
The pandemic dealt a number of blows to the once-thriving downtown in Sacramento, CA (est. pop. 513,620). Violent crime spiked and pedestrian traffic fell by more than 50 percent, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. And a quarter of downtown businesses closed permanently during the first 18 months of the pandemic. In an effort to…To read more — login/subscribe