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…To read more — login/subscribe
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…To read more — login/subscribe
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…To read more — login/subscribe
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…To read more — login/subscribe
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.…To read more — login/subscribe
In Fort Lauderdale, FL (est. pop. 182,434), downtown leaders are organizing a “Get Back Downtown” event for September. The outdoor office party will urge office workers to return to their cubicles in the central business district’s office towers. In Columbus, OH (est. pop. 902,073), a downtown group likewise is marketing the city center by sprucing…To read more — login/subscribe
Fort Collins, CO (est. pop. 170,245), was a bike-friendly place going into the pandemic. Since 2018, it had been one of just four U.S. cities to earn a Platinum designation from the League of American Bicyclists. During the depths of the pandemic, the city raised its cycling game even more by further investing in its…To read more — login/subscribe
As part of a redevelopment of their downtowns, two mid-sized cities are making an unusual move: They’re giving up the traditional model of a city-owned parcel housing City Hall. Instead, the cities are spurring downtown redevelopment projects by partnering with private developers. In the process, they’re moving city administrative offices into mixed-use developments. The cities…To read more — login/subscribe
In Moline, IL (est. pop. 41,920), the city council this spring approved spending $214,000 on a system of video surveillance cameras for 16 locations downtown. Downtown merchants welcomed the new security measure, Geoff Manis, manager of Moline Centre Main Street, told KWQC television. “There’s been a big uptick in car thefts and individuals breaking into…To read more — login/subscribe
