The Craft Beer Festival in Hattiesburg, MS (est. pop. 46,010), is a big deal for downtown. The event attracts some 2,000 people and serves as an important annual fundraiser. When the 2021 event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, downtown leaders got creative. They organized a “little sister event” to the larger festival. “It…To read more — login/subscribe
Albuquerque, NM (est. pop. 560,447), aims to reduce crime downtown by stepping up police patrols. The initiative is called Downtown TEAM, for Targeted Enforcement and Active Monitoring. The city is putting more officers on the streets at night, when criminal activity peaks. Mayor Tim Keller calls TEAM the most significant part of a multi-pronged approach…To read more — login/subscribe
Montreal is widely known as the most bike-friendly city in North America. The city boasts more than 550 miles of bike lanes, many of them physically divided from vehicular traffic. Some of them are even plowed during Montreal’s snowy winters. What’s more, Montreal runs a city-owned bikeshare program. The Bixi fleet includes 7,270 regular bikes…To read more — login/subscribe
The proliferation of properties being marketed on Airbnb, VRBO, and other platforms has created concern in many municipalities. Critics say the short-term rentals disrupt neighborhood cohesiveness with constant turnover and occasional loud parties. Others point to rentals as contributing to rising real estate prices and a shortage of affordable housing. Traverse City, MI (est. pop.…To read more — login/subscribe
Active recreation takes over parking lot While many downtowns face a shortage of parking, in Grand Rapids, MI, the Downtown Development Authority is converting part of a parking lot into three outdoor futsal courts. Futsal is a scaled-down version of soccer involving two teams of five players competing on a smaller field with a smaller…To read more — login/subscribe
With the summertime concert season returning to normal, a number of midsized cities are offering free concerts as a way to activate downtowns. For 2022, the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation is funding concert series in 18 downtowns from Woonsocket, RI (est. pop. 41,616), to Carson City, NV (est. pop. 55,244). The Los Angeles-based Levitt…To read more — login/subscribe
In Chicago, city leaders have banned unaccompanied minors from a major downtown park after 6 p.m. In St. Louis, police shut down electric scooters downtown. In Grand Rapids, MI, city officials are wrestling with whether to station more police officers downtown. And in Pittsburgh, PA, the mayor felt compelled to announce a multi-pronged “plan for…To read more — login/subscribe
In Montclair, NJ (est. pop. 38,634), a downtown stretch of South Park Street catered to cars rather than pedestrians. The streetscape featured wide traffic lanes, angled parking, and narrow sidewalks. Montclair decided to reshape the street in a way that was more enticing to visitors and better suited to hosting festivals and events. “The town…To read more — login/subscribe
