The annual Downtown Lifestyle Tour in Wilmington, NC (est. pop. 106,476), has been offered for the past five years. The goal is to, "introduce people to the unique housing options that downtown offers and to promote how great it can be to live here," says Wilmington Downtown, Inc. The tour is one effort within the…
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City launches downtown attraction plan Like many cities, Boston is struggling to restore the downtown to its former vibrancy. To do that, city officials have announced a five part plan aimed at bringing workers back, attracting tourists and conventions, and embracing the reality of a smaller downtown workforce. The components include: Making better use of…
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Downtown Lawrence, KS (est. pop. 95,784), just hosted the 25th annual version of an event titled Art Tougeau (pronounced “Art To Go”). It’s essentially a moving display of art, in the form of a downtown parade. Vehicles include bikes, scooters, skateboards, cars, and wheelchairs, all creatively decorated. Prizes and bragging rights are awarded by the…
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As downtowns large and small struggle with heat-island effects, an experiment with solar-reflective pavement coatings is showing promise. Last year, the City of Los Angeles chose the Pacoima neighborhood for a test of the concept. The city formed a partnership with GAF, a roofing manufacturer, to cover some 700,000 square feet of pavement with a…
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…the discussion of transportation safety. It explores the policy changes needed for a successful complete streets program, and it discusses how to get the process started. Completing Our Streets shares stories from places big and small that are adopting a complete streets approach to all of their transportation projects…. Continue reading
Since 2011, the town of Flower Mound, TX, has conducted a Retail & Restaurant Survey every other year. The results are used to ensure that residents have input into the type of downtown they want, recruit new businesses, explore consumer leakage, and educate the public about why certain retail and restaurant wishes are not realistic.…
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An innovative pilot program in Cleveland, OH, is providing affordable artist housing while also building a stronger creative economy for the city. The Artist in Residence Program is a joint venture between the Northeast Shores Development Corporation and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Several tools have been developed to attract artists and help…
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Skeptics think of downtown Bridgeport as a treacherous place. The Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) has a different perspective. It sees downtown Bridgeport, CT (est. pop. 144,365), as “friendly,” “flourishing,” and “eclectic.” To underscore that image, downtown boosters launched Colorful Bridgeport, a branding and marketing program that pitches the district as a vibrant place…
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To combat high vacancy rates, Monticello, IL, launched an entrepreneurial boot camp to coach would-be business owners about setting up shop downtown. Instructors are volunteers, and each week focuses on a crucial part of operating a business. There’s an accounting course one week, a finance class the next. Courses also focus on legal issues and…
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The outside world sees San Francisco (est. pop. 881,549) as an economic boomtown, a place defined by splashy tech companies, sky-high wages, and eye-watering real estate values. That image is accurate as far as it goes. But even if the broader city is wildly successful, San Francisco’s downtown has room to improve. Perhaps the biggest…
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