Want to pitch your downtown to visitors? Tap into the wisdom of locals
September 1, 2021
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
Paducah, KY (est. pop. 24,894), is offering incentives to lure remote workers to town. Paducah, a folk arts hub and a UNESCO Creative City, joins other small and mid-sized cities in wooing white-collar workers by offering cash stipends and other bounties. Paducah’s program includes cash reimbursements for relocation costs and Internet services, as well as…
Downtown Denison, TX (est. pop. 24,851), hosts nearly 700 events a year, a brisk pace that generates a steady stream of activity. The hectic schedule has also forced downtown leaders to be mindful about how to pace the events so that they help rather than hinder downtown merchants. “We’ve got to consider that our businesses…
In Tucson, AZ (est. pop. 545,340), summertime temperatures are hot — and getting hotter. In response, the city has begun requiring shade structures and other heat mitigation. For instance, in downtown Tucson, half of all sidewalks and pedestrian pathways must be in the shade as of 2 p.m. on June 21, the sunniest day of…
Lincoln Road Mall, the pedestrian mall in Miami Beach, FL (est. pop. 89,439), has bucked a nationwide trend that has seen car-free shopping zones reopen to vehicular traffic. The strip’s success is partly a result of creative promotion by the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District. In one example, the pedestrian mall hosted an outdoor exhibit…
With the US economy increasingly driven by the tech sector, a growing number of downtown leaders in mid-sized cities are looking for ways to spur innovation locally. One example is in Fort Wayne, IN, where a rusting manufacturing hub was transformed into an innovation district and changed attitudes along the way. Jeff Kingsbury is a…
Transportation officials across the country have been on a mission to both encourage cycling and to make bike lanes safer. The safety challenge is clear: The default cycling path in many places is simply a designated bike lane separated from traffic by paint on pavement. But creating physical separation between sometimes-distracted drivers and vulnerable cyclists…
The town square of Athens, AL (est. pop. 25,176), boasts a century-old courthouse, bustling restaurants, and a church. Successful events such as a farmers market and a concert series are staged in the historic downtown. Incongruously, downtown Athens was also long home to expansive thoroughfares seemingly designed for high-speed suburban traffic, not for a quaint…