Downtown Idea Exchange

The coronavirus recession has devastated independent restaurateurs, but it hasn’t stopped the spread of commercial kitchens, those facilities that serve as co-working spaces for food trucks, caterers, and other food producers. Commercial kitchens are coming to downtown Orangeburg, SC (est. pop. 13,120), Oak Creek, WI (est. pop. 35,843), and other locations. Orangeburg City Council recently…To read more — login/subscribe

 

American vehicles keep growing bigger and bigger, a reality that presents safety challenges for pedestrians in urban centers. David Zipper, a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, says downtown leaders need to find ways to stem an onslaught of oversized vehicles. “It’s an urban safety crisis,” Zipper…To read more — login/subscribe

 

As temperatures dipped in Syracuse, NY, the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation announced a new round of COVID-19 grant funding. Businesses with 50 or fewer full time employees are eligible for grants between $2,500 and $10,000. The funds can be used to purchase outdoor equipment such as tents, awnings, enclosures, or heaters, as well as technology…To read more — login/subscribe

 

City government, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals worked together in Ottawa, KS, to develop a much needed downtown event space. The successful project won a 2019 Crown Communities award from American City and County. The Legacy Square project features 20,000 square feet of green space, covered canopies, public restrooms, benches, and other amenities. A large pavilion…To read more — login/subscribe

 

As cities and their downtowns look to reopen and move forward, Jay Dick of Americans for the Arts, reminds local leaders to make the arts, culture, and entertainment part of the plan for restarting the local economy. Writing in the ICMA blog, he says,  “Getting people out of their houses and spending money again will…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Watch a video produced by the county tourism department Hospitality venues in Lake George, NY, know a lot about how to entertain outdoors in frosty winter weather. When the temperatures dip, they open their ice bars. The venues team-up with master artisans who use saws and chisels to create bars made entirely of ice. Some…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Several downtown projects received BUILD Grants in the latest round of funding. The grants fund projects at the state and local level that are more difficult to support through traditional DOT programs. The 2020 recipients include: Blair South Bypass, in Blair NE. The project was awarded $7,560,000 toward the total project cost of $14,444,040. The…To read more — login/subscribe

 

The new Downtown Dollars program in Salt Lake City is giving people more reasons to shop and dine downtown. The program is sponsored by the Downtown Alliance and managed by Yiftee. Shoppers purchase eGift cards online and use the cards on their mobile devices at participating retailers. To launch the program, the Alliance offered an…To read more — login/subscribe

 

• Free bus rides reduce parking shortage
• City uses marketing, business grants to keep downtown active
• Vacant to Vibrant initiative brings new life to vacant lots
• Vacant to Vibrant projects pop up nationally
• Downtown revamp to include back-in parking
• New approach to ambassadors creates welcoming vibe
• The transformative power of public spaces
• District gives visitors reasons to linger
• Shared commercial kitchens support start-ups, fill vacant space
• Downtowns should regulate big SUVs and pickups, expert says
• Temperatures drop, funding heats up
• Small town pulls together to create event space
• The role of the arts in reopening downtown
• Ice bars provide frosty entertainment
• Build Grants for downtowns
• Downtown gift card offers benefits to all

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Does downtown Memphis, TN, have too much parking, or too little? The complicated answer: Yes to both queries. “It really depends on when, where, and how far away you want to park,” says Brett Roler, vice president of planning and development at the Downtown Memphis Commission. Visitors can struggle to find spots at peak hours.…To read more — login/subscribe