Downtown Idea Exchange

Each month downtown leaders turn to Downtown Idea Exchange for practical news reports, how-to information, and hundreds of real-world examples of how downtowns are growing and prospering.

 


Downtown Idea Exchange, March 2020

March 1, 2020
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Public art creates new energy in downtowns

February 1, 2020
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In Milwaukee, WI, an annual installation of sculptures from around the world attracts attention and visitors during the summer months. In Lakewood, CO, a four-mile long art trail is winning kudos for bringing new energy to a long-neglected neighborhood. The two projects offer differing strategies for using public art as a downtown development tool. In…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Partnering with event venue spurs downtown spending

February 1, 2020
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Vicksburg Main Street was prepared for a big night when a mini-disaster struck. Hours before hundreds of conference-goers were coming to an evening shopping event in Vicksburg, MS (est. pop. 22,961), a water pipe broke on Washington Street, the town’s main thoroughfare. “The street was dug up,” says Kim Hopkins, head of Vicksburg Main Street.…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Craft beer? Quilts? Music? Figure out your downtown’s selling point — then create a trail

February 1, 2020
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Event management expert Lynn Fuhler looks at downtowns near her home base of Winston-Salem, NC, and sees no shortage of “trails” — themed walking or driving tours that draw in customers by playing up assets that local folks might take for granted. Downtown Asheville, NC, for instance, offers architectural tours showcasing the city’s 1920s buildings.…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Regional trail promotes local downtown

February 1, 2020
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The Quilt Trail of northeast Tennessee brings together more than one hundred sites displaying traditional quilt crafts. The trail runs through six counties and two downtown areas. Downtown Greeneville boasts several quilt locations including a history museum, town hall, library, historic inn, and others. While fragile quilts are housed indoors, building exteriors are decorated with…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Cities continue to rethink downtown parking requirements

February 1, 2020
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Parking requirements designed for suburban shopping areas are sapping the life from downtown business districts, argues Charles L. Marohn Jr. “We don’t need the miles and miles of asphalt dictated by local governments’ minimum parking mandates,” says Marohn, president of the nonprofit organization Strong Towns and author of the 2019 book Strong Towns. “Communities have…To read more — login/subscribe

 

To bring back economic activity, hurricane-battered downtown broadens focus

February 1, 2020
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As Hurricane Florence loomed in September 2018, downtown leaders in Wilmington, NC (est. pop. 122,610), had plenty of time to prepare. Downtown Wilmington Inc. canceled a commercial property showcase and collected cell phone numbers from downtown merchants. Workers took down street banners, removed hanging flower baskets, and scoured the downtown district for trash can lids,…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Seven ways to raise your downtown’s social-media game

February 1, 2020
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Lauren Potter uses social media to promote downtown Phoenix, and she goes well beyond posting a quick photo and a few hastily crafted words. She once devoted three hours to creating an Instagram Story about a downtown project that used shipping containers in creative ways. “It does take time,” Potter says. “People understate how long…To read more — login/subscribe

 

Highway removals reverse planning sins of decades past

February 1, 2020
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For decades, downtown leaders have lamented highway-building projects that cut awkward paths through urban cores. The infrastructure boom of the 1950s and 1960s claimed many a victim, recreating traffic patterns in ways that trampled on pedestrianism and made clear that the needs of suburban residents trumped the quality of life of those living in the…To read more — login/subscribe