Partnerships and community engagement essential to revitalization projects
May 1, 2022
Main Street America has named eight cities as semifinalists for the 2022 Great American Main Street Award. Common elements in the work of all semifinalists include a strong emphasis on partnerships between diverse organizations and between the public and private sectors, active community and stakeholder engagement, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a…To read more — login/subscribe
Duluth, MN (est. pop. 85,617), will invest $300,000 in social services outreach to address its downtown homeless population. The City Council in September approved directing the money to the city’s Greater Downtown Council. The $300,000 comes from American Rescue Plan money and will cover three years of services. The Greater Downtown Council will contract with…
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.…
In Berkeley, CA (est. pop. 123,065), Telegraph Avenue has emerged as a battleground over cars and their place in a pedestrian-friendly area. A handful of university students and activists want the street turned into a pedestrian plaza, but merchants say the proposal is bad for business. Telegraph Avenue is near the campus of the University…
The city of Boston recently joined a growing roster of cities that have made nightlife management a priority. Boston recently hired its first nightlife economy director, making the position part of the mayor’s cabinet. “We are working to create more opportunities for residents and businesses to help our night scene grow and bolster our local…
In mid-October, the Downtown Development Authority in West Palm Beach, FL (est. pop. 111,952), launched a three-month pilot project to sponsor the downtown’s on-demand electric shuttle. The service, provided by an operator known as Circuit, offers rides throughout downtown and the town of Palm Beach. “We’re constantly looking for opportunities to reduce congestion and…
In Kansas City, MO (est. pop. 509,247), downtown leaders are in the midst of an ambitious project to build a four-block-long park over Interstate 670. The $217 million plan — known as the South Loop Project — is being driven by Port KC, the Downtown Council of Kansas City, and the City of Kansas City.…
Most cities that built pedestrian malls in the 1960s and 1970s quickly abandoned the experiments. Galveston, TX, Ashtabula, OH, and Fayetteville, NC, removed their failing pedestrian malls soon after installing them. However, in some cities decades-old pedestrian malls continue to thrive. Downtowns in Boulder, CO, Charlottesville, VA, and New Orleans boast bustling pedestrian malls. With…