Cities are increasingly using the arts to improve their downtowns and enhance economic conditions. In Cities and the Arts, editor Roger Kemp has gathered articles from a wide range of sources to demonstrate that when community investment focuses on the arts, business, commerce, and tourism will follow. … Continue reading
…articles on warnings and challenges for the future. In between, the bulk of the book is focused on best practices in economic development. These include ideas in leadership and strategy, marketing and branding, and capital and financing. Also included are many examples of classic economic development practices and contemporary… Continue reading
Several cities nationwide are testing solar-powered products that provide free Wi-Fi and smartphone charging stations while simultaneously gathering pedestrian activity and traffic pattern data. In Oak Park, IL, the first Soofa Core unit was installed in a city park last August, closely followed by units in three other urban parks. The device, located adjacent to…Continue reading
Cities across the U.S. have been investing in streetcars. But in Omaha, NE (est. pop. 487,299), the city’s most famous resident says the city’s downtown streetcar project is a boondoggle. “Residents can be far better served by extended or more intensive service by the bus system,” billionaire Warren Buffett wrote in a letter to the editor…To read more — login/subscribe
The Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District is a regional destination for employment and recreation in the heart Fort Wayne, IN. It is also the subject of a travel writing course at Homestead High School, where students were tasked with researching and writing 500 word essays about a single downtown block. The ultimate goal for the…To read more — login/subscribe
Many downtown leaders fight a constant battle against litter and graffiti. The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District has a novel approach. Last year the BID launched an app that lets residents and visitors take photos of eyesores. The app, known as Downtown Denver Clean and Safe, then pinpoints the coordinates of the problem area and…To read more — login/subscribe
In addition to a full schedule of daily, weekly, and seasonal marketing efforts, special situations often arise that call for a major overhaul or a minor tweak. A major overhaul was needed recently in High Point, NC, where the city spent months updating its dusty and out-of-date branding. Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, IN, a quick response…To read more — login/subscribe
Grants, loans to Black entrepreneurs boost downtown — Memphis, TN, is a majority Black city whose developers are mostly white. The Downtown Memphis Commission has been taking strides to change that picture by making the ranks of property investors and merchants more diverse. Watch a video overview of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s award-winning program below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3zOowHCutU
...Imagining the future of downtown with community visioning — The community visioning session is a basic building block of community planning and downtown leadership. Read the full Community Visioning Handbook. ...
Getting out of the office at lunch time and visiting downtown retail shops and restaurants isn’t always convenient when the weather is too hot or too cold, or the distance too great, or in less-than-comfortable office attire.To help downtown employees get out despite the midday heat in Tempe, AZ, the Downtown Tempe Authority launched a…Continue reading
