Downtown Idea Exchange, October 2021
October 1, 2021
- Small downtown’s dramatic turnaround illustrates power of authenticity
- Downtown groups support tax break to convert old office buildings into housing
- Insights into successful pedestrian malls
- U.S. population grows more dense
- City’s big bet on roundabouts pays off with fewer accidents
- Small arts hub seeks new residents, remote workers
- Lessons from a Healthy Streets pilot program
- Downtown updates traditional marketing, encourages repeat visits
- Idea Exchange: Quick Tips and News from Around the Country
In Madison, WI (est. pop. 259,673), a new program will provide a financial safety net for food cart operators doing business in public parks. In Fort Collins, CO (est. pop. 170,245), an initiative will sponsor asphalt art in neglected neighborhoods. The two programs are among the winners of the latest round of pandemic-recovery grants from…
In Greensboro, NC (est. pop. 296,725), shoppers who spent $25 downtown this summer were eligible to win $500 through a raffle. In Baltimore, downtown leaders developed a grant program to support black-owned businesses. While such efforts were born in part of pandemic desperation, the wave of downtown initiatives reinforces the resilience of downtowns, not to…
In Fort Myers, FL (est. pop. 87,111), the city council recently voted to grant $11 million in tax-increment financing (TIF) to the developer of a downtown project with 274 apartment units and 467 parking spaces. In Kalispell, MT (est. pop. 23,241), the city is considering TIF money for a proposed downtown hotel with 79 rooms…
New zoning rules in Lincoln, NE (est. pop. 289,096), aim to encourage home- based businesses in the South of Downtown neighborhood. Shawn Ryba, executive director of the South of Downtown Community Development Organization, says the changes are designed to throw an economic lifeline to a low-income neighborhood where 94 percent of residents are renters rather…
Post-pandemic travel has come roaring back, and that means downtowns again have an opportunity to pitch themselves as a destination to visitors. Roger Brooks, head of the Destination Development Association, offers a simple way to market your downtown: Rely on local knowledge to create itineraries that will appeal to out-of-towners. Brooks suggests polling residents to…
The cost of overstaying a meter is on the rise. In Chicago, a parking ticket costs $60. In Los Angeles, it’s $73. San Francisco exacts a fee of $83. And in Phoenix — an otherwise car-friendly city that charges some of the steepest rates — overstaying a meter will set you back $84. Motorists and…
City officials in Oxnard, CA (est. pop. 208,875), searched extensively for a site to build the city’s second homeless shelter. The city examined 21 possible sites, but every one of those properties met with resistance from local residents. Eventually, the city approved construction of a five-story, $34 million facility on a city-owned lot across the…
City monitors waste, installs receptacles The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, marked a new phase of its placemaking and beautification action plan with the installation of dog waste stations and cigarette disposal receptacles. The initiative seeks to keep streets and sidewalks clean while bringing attention to important quality of life issues in the Massachusetts city.…