Downtown Idea Exchange

• Five steps for wooing small-scale manufacturers
• Community ownership of commercial property helps spread wealth, economic health
• Push for 15 mph speed limits gains momentum
• Lower speed limits are just part of the solution
• Seven steps for building a downtown destination
• “Shoppertainment” can help downtown merchants drive traffic
• Most mayors expect pedestrian-friendly changes to prove temporary
• Investment in struggling commercial corridors “fiercely place-based”
• Public engagement goes online
• Order takeout, win dinner
• Cardboard Boat Race is back
• Retail village boosts local economy
• First large event a success

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Shamrockin’, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration sponsored by Main Street El Dorado, AR, was the first large event held downtown in over a year. According to MSE executive director Beth Brumley, the group submitted event plans to the Arkansas Department of Health and was approved to host a maximum of 400 people at any given…To read more — login/subscribe

 

In Kansas City, MO, an asphalt art project transformed a tricky intersection making it less hazardous for pedestrians. In Saginaw, MI, a public art initiative sought to bridge a long-simmering racial divide. Both projects were funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative. The grant program gives up to $25,000 per locale for visual art…To read more — login/subscribe

 

In 2016, the City of St. Louis, MO, grabbed headlines when it decided to prohibit new crosswalk art projects, and to allow existing installations to fade away. St. Louis officials pointed to 2011 guidance from the Federal Highway Administration. It said that “crosswalk art is actually contrary to the goal of increased safety and most…To read more — login/subscribe

 

As the coronavirus pandemic spurred new migration trends, downtown leaders in Miami, FL (est. pop. 467,968), decided to sweeten the pot for employers. The Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) launched a Follow the Sun initiative that pays incentives to businesses that move to the central business district. To qualify, an employer must create at least…To read more — login/subscribe

 

In Monticello, IL (est. pop. 5,695), the city is encouraging downtown property owners to improve their historic buildings through a more generous grant program aimed at beautifying the small city’s historic district. Monticello Main Street and the city operated a Façade Improvement Grant program that distributed more than $1 million over 19 years. But in…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Cities large and small are looking for strategies to address homelessness. Austin, TX, might have the most aggressive approach: The city is investing tens of millions of dollars to purchase hotels to serve as housing for the homeless. Austin Mayor Steve Adler has proposed buying 10 motels, one in each of the city’s 10 city…To read more — login/subscribe

 

It’s been over a decade since Philip Walker published his piece the “Top 10 Myths of Downtown Planning,” but his analysis remains timely. Walker, head of The Walker Collaborative, says residents, city officials, and business owners often fall victim to commonly held “misinformed notions,” which can hinder downtown development. They are: • Our downtown needs…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Independent retailers have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. Jef Buehler, head of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Neighborhood Preservation Program, offers a workaround: Merchants can find ways to share costs and space with other organizations. Buehler points to a store in Frenchtown, NJ (est. pop. 1,464). Frenchtown Home Hardware & Outdoors partnered with…To read more — login/subscribe

 

There are several ways to structure co-retailing to fit available downtown spaces and the needs of entrepreneurs. For co-retailing to work well, a landlord must approve the arrangement, a business owner can sublet part of his/her current space, or a group of business owners can seek out and lease a single space together, says Independent…To read more — login/subscribe