Downtown Lexington, VA, is home to an ambitious business incubator and makerspace thatās drawing interest from entrepreneurs in surrounding areas. Lexington Collaboratory & Makerspace is a 1,300-square-foot lab that lets startups tinker with their products. The Collaboratory also provides a team of mentors to dispense advice about legal matters, marketing, real estate, finance, and professionalā¦Continue reading
July 9, 2020 ā Downtown Walla Walla, WA, has reopened after the coronavirus shutdown, but with a number of new twists. A block near Main Street is closed to traffic and is now a plaza for outdoor dining. Main Street itself will close one night a week. Sidewalk liquor consumption is now allowed, within limits.ā¦Continue reading
Home to the Mayo Clinic and a global destination for health and wellness, the City of Rochester, MN, is offering business development grants to help local companies adapt to the pandemic. The city and the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency have announced $100,000 in grant funds to help small businesses and organizations that areā¦To read more — login/subscribe
The expression of public art and its purpose is evolving as artists and downtown leaders expand the definition to encompass new formats. Underfoot or overhead, a treat for the eyes, ears, or all of the senses, public art is an integral part of many successful downtowns. Barbara Goldstein, a placemaking and public art planning consultantā¦Continue reading
Comprehensive, realistic, and easy-to-use, The Community Economic Development Handbook is just what you need to turn a neighborhood or business district around. Author Mihailo Temali has distilled over twenty years of experience in community-based economic development into this practical, jargon-free handbook which describes a proven way to make… Continue reading
Louisville, KY (est. pop. 633,045), will use public art to improve pedestrian safety at four downtown intersections. Louisvilleās new Community Crosswalks program was inspired by the Asphalt Art Safety Study. The study by Bloomberg Philanthropies found that after asphalt art was installed, intersections experienced a 50 percent drop in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists andā¦To read more — login/subscribe
When new bike share stations were installed in downtown West Palm Beach, FL (est. pop. 109,767), they were located directly on city sidewalks. Itās an option thatās feasible so long as certain guidelines are met. The National Association of City Transportation Officials says cities often put bike stations on sidewalks if road space is unavailable,ā¦To read more — login/subscribe
During the coronavirus recession, American consumers turned away from brick-and-mortar retail and toward online shopping. Itās a trend that doesnāt bode well for downtown retail activity heading into November and December. To salvage the holiday shopping season, downtown leaders must be realistic about the conflicting trends that are roiling consumer behavior, says Matthew Wagner, viceā¦To read more — login/subscribe
During the Great Recession, Danville, VA (est. pop. 42,556), had fallen on such hard times that it was unclear if downtown could ever bounce back. āOur downtown completely died,ā says Diana Schwartz, executive director of Danvilleās River District Association. āOur entire community died.ā No one was living downtown. The inventory of vacant commercial space stretchedā¦To read more — login/subscribe
San Diego will become the latest city to allow IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) Smart City to install advertising screens downtown. In June, the San Diego City Council approved a plan to install at least 50 interactive kiosks on public sidewalks. The screens, vertical rectangles that are about eight feet tall, display content to help visitorsā¦To read more — login/subscribe
