It’s one of the most common complaints from downtown leaders: “I don’t have enough volunteers.” Whether you need community members to staff events, to judge business plan entries, or tackle some other task, volunteers are both crucial and scarce. Liz Parham, director of North Carolina’s NC Main Street and Rural Planning Center, says you need…To read more — login/subscribe
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. The Texas Department of Transportation took advantage of the opportunity to encourage drivers to watch out for pedestrians. TxDOT notes that in the El Paso area last year, there were 181 traffic crashes involving pedestrians, resulting in 21 fatalities and 42 serious injuries. The Be Safe. Drive Smart. campaign…Continue reading
Downtown Walla Walla, WA (est. pop. 32,731), has reopened after the coronavirus shutdown, but with a number of new twists. A block near Main Street is closed to traffic and is now a plaza for outdoor dining. Main Street itself will close one night a week. Sidewalk liquor consumption is now allowed, within limits. And…To read more — login/subscribe
The Flatiron District in Manhattan is home to dozens of restaurants, bakeries, and cafĂ©s. Despite the wide range of options, diners needed a little extra push to order food for delivery or pick-up during the pandemic. The solution: Offer a year of free meals. The contest was simple, participants enjoy a meal from their favorite…To read more — login/subscribe
In many downtowns, farmers markets provide important activity. These weekly or monthly events generate spending, create connections with local businesses, address food deserts, and increase foot traffic. A downtown need not be part of a thriving metropolis to reap the rewards of a farmers market. Towns with populations as small as 3,000 are benefiting from…To read more — login/subscribe
The city center in Kansas City, MO (est. pop. 491,158), has experienced “vast improvements” over the past two decades, says Bill Dietrich, president and chief executive officer of the Downtown Council of Kansas City. In an attempt to build on that momentum, Dietrich spearheaded a sweeping proposal that calls for even more changes in the…To read more — login/subscribe
In recent years, scooter-share companies went from a hipster hallmark to the bane of downtown leaders. Now, after the vehicles have become nearly ubiquitous in some downtowns, electric-scooter companies are downsizing. Electric scooter-rental startup Lime cut 14 percent of its workforce as it exited a dozen markets in the U.S. and abroad. Lime said in…To read more — login/subscribe
Even before the pandemic, owners of aging office buildings were struggling to lure tenants and bolster rental rates. When the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a glut of office space and a shortage of housing, that trend accelerated. Now, downtowns across the country are seeing older office buildings convert to residential space — a welcome trend for…To read more — login/subscribe
From a pop-up drive-in movie theater to a downtown-backed delivery service, communities across the United States are coming up with creative ways to come back from the coronavirus crisis. In May, Main Street America announced that eight downtowns had won grants of $10,000 each for innovative proposals. The grants — to six small towns, one…To read more — login/subscribe
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…Continue reading
