White Box programs are proving effective at driving redevelopment in city centers and getting hard to fill spaces rented. The programs typically help fund improvements to heating/cooling systems, lighting, electrical systems, bathrooms, and finished (but not yet painted) ceilings and floors. Improvements that are meant to make older buildings habitable for new users. While many…Continue reading
As the coronavirus shut down its city center, Memphis, TN (est. pop. 650,632), faced a mass extinction of small merchants. The Downtown Memphis Commission responded quickly, handing out short-term loans totaling $260,000 to 46 businesses. The program was designed to provide emergency funding for small businesses that might not have been able to receive larger…To read more — login/subscribe
Novice or professional, individual or group, adult or youth, gingerbread house contests and displays appeal to virtually everyone. And viewing and voting can engage visitors of all ages as well. An exciting take on this classic downtown event, has teams of architects competing against each other while onlookers observe their techniques. In Houston, the Gingerbread…To read more — login/subscribe
As of December, Panama City, FL, allows visitors to consume alcohol two days a week while strolling through the Downtown Panama City Social District. City officials approved the new district despite opposition from skeptics who say looser rules encourage public drunkenness. Panama City was one of many communities to launch an outdoor drinking district in…Continue reading
A downtown-wide vote engaged the public and provided needed supplies for local charities in Winchester, KY. With eight potential place-making projects and just $5,000 to spend, Main Street Winchester created the Winchester Downtown Bracket to select the winning project. The projects were in four categories: downtown amenities, public art, pedestrian improvements, and landscape projects, with…Continue reading
Wilmington, NC (est. pop. 122,610), has rekindled downtown traffic with Downtown Alive, an initiative focused on social distancing and outdoor dining. In Kalamazoo, MI (est. pop. 76,557), the downtown district has introduced a new social district that allows for public consumption of alcohol. Both programs are focused on the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.…To read more — login/subscribe
A decade ago, the downtown in Lake City, SC (est. pop. 6,028), was desolate. The city’s cotton industry had long ago left town. And Lake City was no longer on the way to the beach. “It looked like a bomb went off in downtown,” says Randy Wilson, president of Community Design Solutions. The city wanted…To read more — login/subscribe
The post-pandemic real estate market has seen many changes, three major trends among them: Demand for retail space has softened. Employers are wavering in their commitment to office space. And housing demand is on fire. Those shifts explain why many downtowns are seeing developers repurpose commercial buildings for residential uses. In Manchester, NH (est. pop.…To read more — login/subscribe
Scaling up downtown walking tours Downtown walking tours are a popular way to connect locals and non-locals with all that downtown has to offer. The Downtown Alliance, which manages Lower Manhattan’s business improvement district, created a Walking Tour Incubator Grant Program to spur the development of creative new tours and support budding tour operators. The…To read more — login/subscribe
