Why it might make sense to recruit individuals rather than businesses
March 1, 2021
Traditional economic development strategies focus on wooing corporations, the larger the better. But it makes more sense to focus on homegrown businesses, says Matthew Wagner, vice president of revitalization programs at the National Main Street Center. “It’s really about shifting our economic development focus to one of cultivating human capital rather than business recruitment,” Wagner…To read more — login/subscribe
The Colorado Springs Gateways Initiative was a clear win for the city’s downtown. The new signs at the entrances to downtown are eye-catching, and the project was honored with an award from the International Downtown Association. The Gateways Initiative aimed to enhance nine entry points into the heart of Colorado Springs and to stimulate new…
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
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Waterloo, IA (est. pop. 66,934), launched an electric scooter program in 2021, and the roll-out has been generally smooth, says Jessica Rucker, executive director of Main Street Waterloo. “There are fears about these programs, but it has gone very well,” Rucker says. Cities throughout the country have experienced the downsides of scooter sharing. St. Louis…
The summer kicked off with record-breaking heat across much of the U.S. In the Southwest and South-east, the "feels-like" temperatures soared well above 100 degrees in July. For downtown leaders, the oppressive temperatures complicated plans for outdoor events — and they served as a reminder that cities need to start planning for intense heat. While…
The 37-story office building at 100 N. Main St. in Memphis, TN (est. pop. 651,088), is a reminder of both downtown’s promise and its challenges. The tower is the tallest structure in the downtown skyline. Yet it has sat empty since 2014. Thieves have harvested the copper wiring. And vandals have knocked books from the…
In Tucson, AZ (est. pop. 545,987), and Boston, shared kitchens have attracted dozens of entrepreneurs who run catering businesses and food trucks. The concept is taking off nationally, in big cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta and smaller cities like Shreveport, LA, Harrison, MI, and Loveland, CO, where community kitchens act as incubators…