A newly planted flower bed, a downtown dining brochure, sparkling lights illuminating the tops of downtown buildings, these are all ideas developed as part of the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership idea sharing project. The project received the 2020 Oregon Main Street award for best organizational tool. The project was born out of necessity. People came to…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown leaders in Macon, GA (est. pop. 153,159), had an idea that seemed far-fetched. They hoped to spur interest in local merchants by printing their own currency, and then setting up a unique scavenger hunt based on the custom scrip. When local residents expanded the game to Facebook, and small businesses began hosting events based…To read more — login/subscribe
The Knight Foundation, which provided funding for Macon Money, says the program provided three valuable lessons: • Macon Money encouraged exploration. Games free people to try new things against a backdrop that’s playful and safe. In Macon Money, residents took advantage of their free currency to experiment with new spending habits: 46 percent of players…To read more — login/subscribe
The Minneapolis region’s light rail transit is expanding and plans to begin serving Hopkins, MN (est. pop. 18,300), in 2023. Downtown leaders in Hopkins welcome the new train line, which transit officials expect to carry 34,000 riders a day. But Hopkins also has a challenge: The Green Line Extension of the light rail service will…To read more — login/subscribe
The official statistics say downtown Memphis, TN (est. pop. 650,618), isn’t in need of additional emergency shelter beds for homeless people. But Jared Bingham looks around and sees that the official stats don’t tell the full story — there are many people in Memphis, especially women, who need shelter. “Memphis has about 8,000 families that…To read more — login/subscribe
Skeptics think of downtown Bridgeport as a treacherous place. The Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) has a different perspective. It sees downtown Bridgeport, CT (est. pop. 144,365), as “friendly,” “flourishing,” and “eclectic.” To underscore that image, downtown boosters launched Colorful Bridgeport, a branding and marketing program that pitches the district as a vibrant place…To read more — login/subscribe
Led by a bike-friendly mayor, Pittsburgh is betting that bike transit is here to stay. But detractors have responded with a “bikelash” that includes complaints that new bike lanes take away valuable parking spots. This autumn, the city completed work on bike lanes that connect the city’s downtown to the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Earlier…To read more — login/subscribe
The latest round of urban flight has spawned one of the great debates of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will Americans resume their shift toward urban living when the coronavirus is brought to heel? Or will they decide the suburbs suit them? Prominent economists disagree. Some say the luster of city centers already had begun to fade…To read more — login/subscribe
Every successful urban district struggles with parking — how to provide enough spaces, how to price those spaces properly, how to enforce violations. In his book Walkable City Rules, city planner and urban designer Jeff Speck offers some contrarian advice about parking. Downtown leaders need to stop serving the parking monster, and instead make parking…To read more — login/subscribe
