Downtown Idea Exchange

Historic buildings enhance the charm of any downtown. They create an undeniable sense of place. But maintaining, restoring, and reusing historic structures can be an expensive and complicated undertaking. To help with the challenges of historic preservation, there’s an array of funding sources, partnerships, and tax credits available to property owners and downtown leaders. The…To read more — login/subscribe

 

By ushering in a new age of public meetings on Zoom, some predicted, the coronavirus pandemic was poised to intensify public engagement in downtown planning. Instead, researchers report, the opposite happened: If anything, public discourse grew more passive. That’s the conclusion of three academics who interviewed municipal planners about how the pandemic has affected discourse…To read more — login/subscribe

 

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

 

• Downtown’s bold plan envisions sweeping changes
• City approves outdoor drinking zone — but only amid strong pushback
• How to tap funding for reviving blighted historic buildings
• In Zoom era, soliciting public feedback grows harder, not easier
• Downtown salvages festival lost to pandemic with a nimble new event
• Downtowns consider electric vehicle charging stations
• City boosts police patrols downtown
• Bike-friendly city shows how to set the stage for cycling
• Downtown leaders look to restrict vacation rentals — some merchants object
• Idea Exchange: Quick Tips and News from Around the Country

To read more — login/sign up

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