Since 2017 AARP has been distributing millions of dollars through its AARP Community Challenge grant program. The money goes to a variety of projects nationwide. Recent recipients have included a project to turn a closed motel into a homeless shelter in Pueblo, CO, a downtown game station in Opelika, AL, and efforts to refurbish downtown…To read more — login/subscribe
Lincoln Road Mall, the pedestrian mall in Miami Beach, FL (est. pop. 89,439), has bucked a nationwide trend that has seen car-free shopping zones reopen to vehicular traffic. The strip’s success is partly a result of creative promotion by the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District. In one example, the pedestrian mall hosted an outdoor exhibit…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown leaders everywhere look for quick wins and swift results. But sometimes redevelopment efforts are measured not in months or years but in decades. That’s the case in Chattanooga, TN (est. pop. 181,370), where the City Council this summer voted unanimously in favor of a new $87 million stadium for the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league…To read more — login/subscribe
Many downtown leaders fight a constant battle against litter and graffiti. The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District has a novel approach. Last year the BID launched an app that lets residents and visitors take photos of eyesores. The app, known as Downtown Denver Clean and Safe, then pinpoints the coordinates of the problem area and…To read more — login/subscribe
Greenville, MS (est. pop. 29,854), and Columbus, MS (est. pop. 23,853), are small cities in the same state, but they’re not obvious candidates for a marketing partnership. The towns are 160 miles apart, and Greenville’s autumn Delta Hot Tamale Festival and Columbus’ springtime Market Street Festival have almost no overlap in attendance. In other words,…To read more — login/subscribe
In downtown Texarkana, TX (est. pop. 36,733), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) financed a $1.4 million redevelopment of the Hotel Grim, a 1925 building that was repurposed to include dozens of residential units. In Brockton, MA (est. pop. 95,740), HUD loaned $1.5 million for the Brockton Restaurant Infrastructure Fund. The program…To read more — login/subscribe
A series of late-night shootings in downtown Orlando, FL (est. pop. 284,817), has pushed downtown leaders to search for ways to make the city’s entertainment district safer. Among a flurry of incidents, a 34-year-old Army veteran was shot to death in early May while walking down a crowded downtown street. The spate of shootings, and…To read more — login/subscribe
In many downtowns, farmers markets provide important activity. These weekly or monthly events generate spending, create connections with local businesses, address food deserts, and increase foot traffic. A downtown need not be part of a thriving metropolis to reap the rewards of a farmers market. Towns with populations as small as 3,000 are benefiting from…To read more — login/subscribe
