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.

 


Five ways to stop giving away money at the curb

June 1, 2021
In downtowns large and small, curbsides are getting congested. Everyone, it seems, craves a parking spot along Main Street. Delivery drivers, bikeshare stations, and Uber operators compete with local residents for that increasingly scarce metered spot by the curb. “In our rapidly changing world, the humble curb is seeing a convergence of competing uses,” write…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Downtown sweetens incentives to recruit mall businesses

June 1, 2021
It’s a decades-old story: After a suburban mall opened, downtown lost many of its merchants. But with the retail landscape changing, one downtown is reversing the script. The Downtown Development Authority in Alpena, MI (est. pop. 10,034), sees opportunity in the repurposing of an old mall. With the Alpena Mall changing ownership and some tenants…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Idea Exchange: Quick Tips and News from Around the Country

June 1, 2021
Downtown re-opening event Local Palooza was created to welcome the community back to outdoor, in-person gatherings while supporting downtown Lafayette, LA’s arts and small business community. The free event featured continuous live entertainment in and around downtown’s Parc Sans Souci as well as local vendors from the Louisiana Crafts Guild, and food and beverages for…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Downtown Idea Exchange, June 2021

June 1, 2021
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Five steps for wooing small-scale manufacturers

May 1, 2021
A new breed of business could lead a wave of downtown revitalization. Niche manufacturers — think craft jewelers, makers of small-batch lotions and cosmetics, and microbrewers — are a growing, but often overlooked, segment of the post-pandemic economy, says Ilana Preuss. Preuss is founder and chief executive officer of consulting firm Recast City. She’s also…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Displaying creativity, downtowns find new ways to woo back visitors

May 1, 2021
Main Street America is giving grants of $8,500 each to a group of cities that have developed creative strategies to bring traffic back downtown. The winning ideas run the gamut — some focus on placemaking, others on community engagement, others on supporting small businesses. Most of the recipients have populations of less than 50,000, and…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Community ownership of commercial property helps spread wealth, economic health

May 1, 2021
In a low-income area of Portland, OR, is a 29,000-square-foot strip shopping center filled with a mix of independent merchants and service providers. The tenant list includes a Latina-owned hair salon, several tax preparers, and the Somali American Association of Oregon. In similar neighborhoods, such a property would be owned by a well-heeled landlord who…To read more — login/subscribe