When it comes to business signage, many commercial areas are a free-for-all of ads of all shapes, sizes, and colors. If your downtown could be described as an “ugly, cluttered, sign-overloaded district,” it’s time to clean up, says Ed McMahon, chairman emeritus of Main Street America and a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute.…To read more — login/subscribe
In downtown Napa, CA (est. pop. 78,294), wayfinding signs are fading and more than two decades old. “They have patched-over fonts, different colors, and incorrect information,” Economic Development Manager Neal Harrison told the city council, according to the Napa Valley Register. “A good example of that is the visitor center moved from Main Street to…To read more — login/subscribe
In big cities and medium-sized metro areas, downtown leaders take for granted that the city center will be filled with grocery stores, fitness facilities, and pet-adoption centers. It’s a different story in small downtowns, however. Consumers in rural areas might have to drive for hours for basic services. That reality caught the attention of William…To read more — login/subscribe
In recent years, Elizabeth Cook noticed that building owners in Charles Town, WV (est. pop. 6,373), stopped applying for the city’s façade improvement grants. The problem? Every building owner who needed a grant had already gotten one. So Cook, downtown coordinator at Charles Town Now, came up with a plan to transition the program to…To read more — login/subscribe
Strong, effective leadership is essential to bringing ideas and people together for community and economic development. In The Community Leadership Handbook, author James F. Krile provides the tools every community leader needs, no matter what their formal title or training. Based on the Blandin Foundation’s 20-years of… Continue reading
It’s a familiar problem in downtowns throughout the U.S. — Large delivery trucks block traffic as the driver stops at the curb to drop off a single small package. In an attempt to address the congestion caused by package deliveries, some cities are experimenting with bicycles to get online orders to their final destination. One…To read more — login/subscribe
The coronavirus pandemic forced downtown activity to grind to a halt. What now? Take advantage of the pause to address some long-neglected tasks. Downtown leaders say they’re tackling these chores: • Upgrading physical spaces. Do your offices need a fresh coat of paint? Are downtown benches and bathrooms in need of repairs? The slowdown presents…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown leaders in Grand Forks, ND (est. pop. 56,556), had a question: Could serving a free hot meal to hundreds of people, and encouraging them to talk to their neighbors, improve community pride and engagement? That is the premise behind Grand Forks’ Longest Table events. The experiment kicked off in 2018, when organizers assembled a…To read more — login/subscribe
Albuquerque, NM (est. pop. 561,006), has joined a growing trend toward waiving bus fares. The city council moved in late 2023 to remove all fees for transit services provided by ABQ Ride. The move follows a two-year pilot program, numerous data reports, and feedback from community members. “Since the Zero Fare Pilot Program began, we…To read more — login/subscribe
Both Vancouver, BC (est. pop. 2,683,000), and Vancouver, WA (est. pop. 194,509), are known for their rainy weather. And both downtowns have unveiled umbrella share programs for visitors and residents who find themselves caught in the rain. In Vancouver, WA, Vancouver’s Downtown Association has operated the Umbrella Share Program for two years, says Michael Walker,…To read more — login/subscribe
