Vacant to Vibrant initiative brings new life to vacant lots
December 1, 2020
In Wilmington, DE (est. pop. 70,164), two long-vacant lots are part of the Wilmington Alliance’s Vacant to Vibrant initiative. The economic development organization aims to provide much-needed green space, stabilize a marginalized downtown neighborhood, and empower residents to engage in the planning process. The project was anything but easy, writes Laura Semmelroth, director of creative…To read more — login/subscribe
Billboard welcomes workers downtown When Promedica, a nonprofit healthcare system, moved its corporate office to downtown Toledo, OH, in 2017 the management team wanted to be sure that everyone felt welcome in the new location. One part of the welcome campaign came in the form of a strategically placed digital billboard. The words, “Promedica Welcomes…
Parking garages take on new life In an effort to encourage owners of parking garages to activate their spaces during down times, the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative created a pop-up rooftop performance venue at a downtown parking garage. “We were hoping owners would see that garages could be put to really good use during the…
When it comes to bike lanes, U.S. cities are known to be well behind their peers in Europe and Canada. But that’s changing, according to the advocacy group People for Bikes. More protected bike lanes and safety-minded bike networks are being built than ever before, the group says. In hopes of inspiring other downtowns to…
Long before anyone had heard of COVID-19, Middlebury, VT (est. pop. 6,966), faced an existential threat of a different type. An infrastructure project was set to tear up roads and disrupt the downtown for six years. Back in 2015, the Vermont Agency of Transportation embarked on the Bridge & Rail Project, a public works investment…
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the closely watched Grants Pass case. The legal question centered on whether cities can prevent homeless people from camping in public spaces. A lower court had determined that city ordinances regulating camping on public property constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.…
This year, Small Business Saturday — a crucial event for downtowns vying with suburban retail destinations — is scheduled for November 25. The event provides an opportunity for downtown leaders to foster community engagement, and for independent businesses to shine. But moving foot traffic and dollars from big box stores and online retailers takes focused…