A sun-roasted, unwelcoming stretch of sidewalk in downtown West Palm Beach, FL (est. pop. 110,219), is scheduled to get a “Shade Parade” made of six moving purple parasols. The city hired Montreal design firm Daily tous les jours to brainstorm ideas about a section of Quadrille Boulevard. The proposal: A system of aluminum umbrellas that…To read more — login/subscribe
Frank LaTorre remembers when the price tag for the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge was just $3 million. It was back in the 1990s, and the idea was to turn the Route 195 span over the Providence River into a walkway connecting the urban core. By the time the project was finally completed this summer, the…To read more — login/subscribe
In Chicago, landlords and cannabis entrepreneurs are gearing up for a new business opportunity presented by Illinois’ legalization of recreational marijuana. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has a different idea. Chicago’s top elected official proposed banning pot shops downtown. Lightfoot’s rationale: If dispensaries are allowed on Michigan Avenue and other high-value addresses, Chicago’s less prosperous neighborhoods won’t…To read more — login/subscribe
With construction on the rise, the Burlington Downtown Business Association is looking for ways to ease travel and parking in the city center. According to the local InsideHalton.com, the association’s proposals include requiring increased communication with downtown businesses and enhanced construction cleanup. More controversial is the proposal to require construction workers to park outside of…To read more — login/subscribe
September was National Library Card Sign-up Month. To celebrate the event, businesses in downtown Pittsfield, MA, offered special discounts and giveaways exclusively to library card holders. The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s public library, joined forces with Downtown Pittsfield Inc. to coordinate the deals at 25 downtown businesses for the entire month. To take advantage of the…To read more — login/subscribe
Despite streetcar construction in downtown Tempe, AZ, intrepid visitors donned hard hats and enjoyed all that the city center has to offer. Each week the Tempe Downtown Authority gave away 100 reusable yellow hard hats imprinted with the association logo. People wearing hard hats could claim an hour of free parking as well as specials…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown visitors don’t get much joy from parking tickets, but in Muncie, IN, they can feel a little bit better about paying them. For several weeks in July, parking tickets could be paid by donating cat food or cat litter to Muncie Animal Care & Services. In other cities, such as Las Vegas, drivers have…To read more — login/subscribe
In an effort to attract visitors downtown, tiny Lake City, CO, capitalized on some unlikely assets to create a unique tourism attraction. While many downtowns limit event schedules during the cold winter months, Lake City rolls out its ice park. Located one block south of the historic downtown, the ice park is a man-made ice…To read more — login/subscribe
In an effort to support local businesses, the Downtown Bend Business Association is asking the city council to make several changes to downtown event permitting. The changes include limiting the number of days that events can be held on city center streets. Currently the city allows up to three events per month from September to…To read more — login/subscribe
Last year, holiday bars popped up around the country. The bars typically feature extensive holiday decor, seasonal drinks, a fundraising component, and, of course, holiday music. In Pittsburgh, the pop-ups included both home-grown offerings and a nationwide chain. In the home-grown category was Auld Lang Syne, which occupied a portion of the popular Oyster House…To read more — login/subscribe
