Hartford, CT (est. pop. 122,591), faces a familiar problem: There just isn’t enough downtown housing to meet demand. While many downtowns are seeing conversions of under-used offices into housing, Hartford’s latest projects are a bit different. In one example, a struggling hotel will convert guest rooms to apartments. In another project, former student housing is…To read more — login/subscribe
The city of Trenton, NJ (est. pop. 83,211), and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy are launching what they call the first large-scale urban transit system in America to be based entirely on self-driving shuttles. The Trenton MOVES project calls for deploying 100 autonomous vehicles throughout the city. Each driverless car will carry four to eight…To read more — login/subscribe
Remodeled bridge reconnects downtown neighborhoods For decades, the Main Street Bridge separated the core of downtown New Britain, CT, from the Little Poland neighborhood. The overpass was poorly lit, with narrow sidewalks, and the roar of traffic from below. All that changed in 2019, when the bridge was renovated and re-named the Beehive Bridge. The…To read more — login/subscribe
Long before anyone had heard of COVID-19, Middlebury, VT (est. pop. 6,966), faced an existential threat of a different type. An infrastructure project was set to tear up roads and disrupt the downtown for six years. Back in 2015, the Vermont Agency of Transportation embarked on the Bridge & Rail Project, a public works investment…To read more — login/subscribe
For years, Miami Beach, FL (est. pop. 88,885), routinely approved sidewalk dining permits for any Lincoln Road restaurant that asked for one. No longer. Even as the coronavirus pandemic has compelled many downtowns to ease rules around outdoor dining, Miami Beach has begun to crack down on sidewalk permits issued along the beachfront city’s popular…To read more — login/subscribe
In Redding, CA (est. pop. 92,958), a new venture has brought together 18 small shops in one location. Called Gather Downtown, it’s not quite a business incubator, not quite an antiques mart or a food hall. Instead, it’s a middle ground, an initiative that both fills vacant space and nurtures entrepreneurs. “We wanted to put…To read more — login/subscribe
At the height of racial justice demonstrations in the summer of 2020, Washington, DC, officials expressed fears of vandalism and looting after protesters damaged storefronts and frightened off less boisterous visitors. However, as the pandemic has dragged on, DC officials have taken a dramatically different view of demonstrations. In 2021, protests have shifted from headache…To read more — login/subscribe
In Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, downtown leaders have activated streets and alleyways over the past five years, an initiative that has contributed to the neighborhood’s revitalization and strong sense of place. The effort links Dairy Block, Market Station, and McGregor Square, creating what LaDonna Baertlein, director of business development at design firm DigStudio, calls…To read more — login/subscribe
