…cons Reaping big benefits from small-scale placemaking Creating a pipeline of start-up businesses Using food trucks to combat crime Getting more from your gift card program Supporting retail with free delivery service, recruitment referral program, more. Here’s how it works – for you, and your team When you subscribe… Continue reading
This free e-newsletter brings you the same high-quality information available in Downtown Idea Exchange in a brief email format. Twice each month, you’ll get quick-reading ideas that are sure to spark new thinking, action, and improvement in your downtown. You’ll find: Current thinking and action on improving… Continue reading
Dance, yoga, CrossFit, and more are enlivening public spaces in downtowns across North America. In one example, the Waterfront Partnership in Baltimore, MD, offers a Waterfront Wellness Series on weekend mornings from late May through late September, which includes free yoga, boot camp, CrossFit, and Zumba. “I think a lot of us have gym memberships,…Continue reading
The two-block retail corridor in downtown Kirkland, WA, has been redeveloped as an award winning American "woonerf," a Dutch word that translates loosely as "living street." The plaza-like lane is now a pedestrian-friendly gathering space, while remaining open to vehicles, as well. The transformation did not happen overnight. The 2008-2013 Capital Improvement Program allocated funding…Continue reading
The city of Houghton, MI, is determined to meet two goals each winter: keeping walkways clear and comfortable, and creating as many fun, outdoor events as possible. "We try to keep things walkable for folks," says City Manager Eric Waara. And, in addition to plowing the streets, the city provides outdoor "winter harbors," areas where…Continue reading
The expression of public art and its purpose is evolving as artists and downtown leaders expand the definition to encompass new formats. Underfoot or overhead, a treat for the eyes, ears, or all of the senses, public art is an integral part of many successful downtowns. Barbara Goldstein, a placemaking and public art planning consultant…Continue reading
For many downtowns, attracting and keeping businesses is a daunting task. Downtown merchants often are independent businesses that lack sophisticated support networks and deep reserves of capital. Some downtown leaders have taken pains to make life easier for business owners. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) points out several successful examples of downtowns that are…To read more — login/subscribe
The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed a new wave of migration, one that sees Americans moving out of high-cost states and into lower-cost states. The Pew Research Center estimates 71 percent of Americans are working from home, up from 20 percent before the coronavirus outbreak. More than half of those people want to continue working remotely,…Continue reading
Crokicurl: A new downtown activity Memorial Square in Prince Albert, Sask., Canada, is drawing visitors downtown on even the coldest days. They are there to play crokicurl and maybe to linger for a warm drink and a little shopping. The Prince Albert BID explains this odd sounding activity: “Crokicurl is the brainchild of Public City…To read more — login/subscribe
