Portland, ME, doesn’t have a problem with serious crime. Like many cities, Portland has seen rates of violent crime fall in recent decades. But the downtown does struggle with public-safety nuisances such as panhandling, vagrancy, loitering, public drinking, and drug abuse. Those issues might make a downtown less welcoming, but they aren’t the sort of…Continue reading
To reopen downtown, consider outdoor dining, “parklets,” and “flex zones” — The recovery from the coronavirus crisis threatens to be arduous and slow-moving. But architects Alan Pullman and Shannon Heffernan, of urban design firm Studio One Eleven in Long Beach, CA, urge cities to use “parklets” and “flex zones” to create spaces for outdoor dining. They also suggest transforming parking lots into al fresco seating areas. The National Association of City Transportation Officials offers guidance on Parklet design.
...Parklet vs Pedlet — A play on the word “parklet,” a pedlet allows for outdoor dining on the sidewalk while the adjacent parking space is converted to a pedestrian way. The video below shows modular pedlet installation in Great Falls, MT. https://youtu.be/jOZEUX0-ebY ...
Even after all-clear, downtown foot traffic might not return to normal — As the coronavirus pandemic has dragged on, it has become clear that consumers and merchants will take time to resume old behavior patterns, says Matt Wagner, vice president of revitalization programs at Main Street America. See Main Street America’s local resident survey questions and small business interview questionnaire. ...
Uber, Lyft increase congestion; here’s how one downtown copes — Before the coronavirus shutdowns silenced downtown Orlando, FL, city officials say designating locations for drivers to pick up downtown patrons improved traffic flow during the late-night rush hour, when bars closed and thousands of people tried to leave a small area at once. Read a traffic study commissioned by Uber and Lyft. ...
Miami is in the midst of transforming unused space beneath the Metrorail tracks into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail, and exhibit space for public art. The idea was generated not by urban planners or elected officials, but by a Miami resident who calls herself “a crazy citizen.” Meg Daly has often repeated the story…To read more — login/subscribe
Doing a complete overhaul of downtown signage can be a lengthy-but-worthwhile process, as has been the case in Knoxville, TN. The city started gathering public input for its comprehensive wayfinding program in 2009, and hopes to see the project completed this year. “Our wayfinding program was really intended to do three things,” says Anne Wallace,…Continue reading
Visitors pose for photos along the path of the floodwall murals. In the annals of cultural assets, a quilting museum and a public mural project might sound like an unremarkable pair of advantages. But Paducah, KY (est. pop. 24,879), has combined those two resources with local pride and a relentless place-building campaign to turn itself…To read more — login/subscribe
Reallocating Street Space During the Pandemic Many cities have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by creating more space for people outside. Which of the following, if any, have you implemented in your community? Do you anticipate any of these changes becoming permanent? Source: Urban Parks and the Public Realm: Equity & Access in Post-COVID Cities…To read more — login/subscribe
In an effort to revive a stagnant urban core, Chicago is being especially generous in providing public subsidies to convert obsolete office space into apartments and hotels. In one major initiative, Mayor Brandon Johnson is supporting a plan to convert vacant office space in the financial district to 1,000 apartments, partly using city subsidies. The…To read more — login/subscribe
…every community. He explores the scope and dynamics of place branding, and provides a step-by-step process to research, define, and deploy a winning brand strategy. He explains how to create a unifying overarching place brand to embrace tourism, economic development and community pride. And he demonstrates how to bring… Continue reading
City officials in Oxnard, CA (est. pop. 208,875), searched extensively for a site to build the city’s second homeless shelter. The city examined 21 possible sites, but every one of those properties met with resistance from local residents. Eventually, the city approved construction of a five-story, $34 million facility on a city-owned lot across the…To read more — login/subscribe
For downtown leaders with extensive wish lists for funding, the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada provide money for everything from pop-up parks to major infrastructure projects. However, securing federal funding isn’t always easy. To boost your chances of landing federal grants, you need to know what money is available and how to ask…To read more — login/subscribe
