Making lighter, quicker, cheaper improvements can mean something as simple as providing seats in public spaces. For example, when the public library in Wallkill, NY, wanted to activate green space around the building, it installed colorful lawn chairs along with signs inviting people to relax. “This effort changed the look and feel of the library…Continue reading
In Portland, ME, a local couple envisioned a three-story, mixed-use building in the city’s Deering Center neighborhood. However, they faced a number of challenges. Such a building hadn’t gone up for years. And the developers — architects Kiya and Denis Lachman — were rookies. But they pursued the plan anyway, ultimately completing a structure that’s…To read more — login/subscribe
Events spread out, take over streets Downtown event planners took a number of steps to ensure that summer and fall events were appropriately sized and not overly crowded. Among the strategies: Events are being scaled back and spread out across city streets and over multiple days. • The annual A Taste of Colorado food festival…To read more — login/subscribe
With several portable toilets on the verge of being removed from service, the City of Columbus, OH, came through with $51,000 in funding to maintain the toilets and keep them open. That temporary reprieve will be followed by a more permanent solution, as Columbus has earmarked funds to install several free-standing bathrooms downtown. Early in…To read more — login/subscribe
While many restaurants nationwide rely on third party services like Grubhub and Uber Eats to get meals delivered quickly, they bemoan the high commission rates. To help restaurants in downtown Jackson, MS, Visit Jackson and Downtown Jackson Partners teamed up with a local delivery service. The goal was to expand delivery options for local restaurants…To read more — login/subscribe
Art carts showcase artists’ work, enliven downtown Art on the Town was created to help artists in Lexington, KY, show and sell their work. The program features eight mobile carts that are available seven days a week at no cost to artists. “The carts are mobile and can move around within several block areas of…To read more — login/subscribe
As your downtown grows more sophisticated, and as retailers increasingly look to invest in main street locations, developing credible and comprehensive recruitment data is ever more important. Emily Brett, senior manager of economic development at the Downtown Denver Partnership, offers these tips for developing recruitment data, and producing meaningful reports, without breaking your budget: •…To read more — login/subscribe
In little Bucksport, ME (est. pop. 2,682), the closing of a paper mill in 2014 led to a round of soul searching. “That mill had really defined our community and defined our downtown for 80 years,” says Brook Minner, head of Main Street Bucksport. Bucksport has just one stoplight on its main street, and the…To read more — login/subscribe
Iowa City, IA, the Iowa City Downtown District is testing novel ways to serve existing merchants and recruit new ones. In one successful strategy, the Downtown District runs its own delivery service. It leases a vehicle and pays a driver, and deliveries are free to customers within a 15-mile radius of downtown. In another program…Continue reading
Macomb, IL (est. pop. 15,207), is a little city whose leaders freely admit it’s in the middle of nowhere. These days, they’re making a big claim: The downtown is now home to the world’s largest Monopoly board. In May, downtown leaders unveiled the completed Macombopoly. The project is a nod to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie, a…To read more — login/subscribe
