New York’s Central Park and Chicago’s Grant Park are just two examples of large-scale green spaces that meet the needs of a wide-range of community members. But what to do if you have limited public space downtown, or limited funds? Small-scale pocket parks are one answer. These small parks provide a welcome respite and often…To read more — login/subscribe
Wiscasset, ME (est. pop. 1,092), undertook a sweeping redesign of Main Street that includes widening sidewalks, adding lighting, installing bollards, renovating sidewalks, improving drainage, and redesigning parking. Such an ambitious project meant a lot of construction headaches. To help local leaders around the state minimize the impact of such projects, MaineDOT developed Digging Maine, a…To read more — login/subscribe
Community Visioning for Place Making is a fascinating and actionable guide to engaging with communities to design better public spaces. It includes 10 steps to successfully completing a Community Visioning process for any location, be that a single block, neighborhood, or city center. In addition… Continue reading
The good news for America’s downtowns is that the U.S. economy has made a robust recovery from the pandemic. People are traveling, dining out, shopping, and otherwise going about their lives. The bad news? Downtown streets are once again overwhelmed with delivery trucks, rideshare vehicles, and side hustlers dropping off meals and groceries. In one…To read more — login/subscribe
Digital signs approved for downtown Large-format digital billboards were on display in downtown Baltimore, MD, in December. The signs showcase local businesses, organizations, artwork, and events. The Downtown Partnership says thatanother nine billboards will be added in 2024. The billboards are in the newly created North Harbor Area of Special Sign Control, which is located…To read more — login/subscribe
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper recently signed a new law allowing cities to establish “social districts” that permit outdoor consumption of alcohol. Downtown leaders quickly embraced the change, part of the COVID-19 loosening of alcohol rules around the nation. The thinking is that Americans might want to go back downtown, but that they aren’t keen…To read more — login/subscribe
Greensboro, NC, will launch a downtown social district in March. Within its boundaries, visitors will be able to stroll while carrying alcoholic beverages in specially labeled plastic cups. Greensboro is one of a number of North Carolina cities that have enacted, or are considering, downtown social districts after Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law in…Continue reading
Empty office buildings, canceled events, shuttered bars and restaurants. The short-term fallout of the coronavirus pandemic was painful for downtowns. Now, downtown leaders across the country are bracing for a slower-to-unfold crisis. State and city tax revenues have been hit by the COVID-19 recession, and that’s likely to mean tighter budgets for downtown priorities for…To read more — login/subscribe
For delivery driver Matt McCullough, finding a place to park in downtown Aspen, CO (est. pop. 7,431), was often a challenge. But a new curb-management system has made his workday much easier. Aspen is one of four cities of varying sizes testing software from Coord, a New York City-based company focused on parking programs for…To read more — login/subscribe
Post-pandemic travel has come roaring back, and that means downtowns again have an opportunity to pitch themselves as a destination to visitors. Roger Brooks, head of the Destination Development Association, offers a simple way to market your downtown: Rely on local knowledge to create itineraries that will appeal to out-of-towners. Brooks suggests polling residents to…To read more — login/subscribe
