Long before anyone had heard of COVID-19, Middlebury, VT, faced a threat of a different type. An infrastructure project was set to tear up roads and disrupt the downtown for six years. Middlebury’s leaders decided to make the best of a tough situation. They formed a group, named it Neighbors, Together, and began searching for…Continue reading
Providing safe storage to homeless Most local shelters only permit clients to bring a single bag, forcing them to choose between leaving their belongings behind or staying elsewhere — often on downtown streets. In Kansas City, MO, 30 gallon bins are providing storage for the homeless. The rolling bins are stored in a secure location…To read more — login/subscribe
It’s a familiar problem in downtowns throughout the U.S. — Large delivery trucks block traffic as the driver stops at the curb to drop off a single small package. In an attempt to address the congestion caused by package deliveries, some cities are experimenting with bicycles to get online orders to their final destination. One…To read more — login/subscribe
As the severity of COVID-19 fades, American life has begun to return to normal. Americans are going to restaurants, movies, concerts, and sporting events. They’re shopping and vacationing. But they aren’t going back to offices. “Everyone’s moving back to the city. They just don’t want to go to the office,” says Sonny Kalsi, co-CEO of…To read more — login/subscribe
The good news for America’s downtowns is that the U.S. economy has made a robust recovery from the pandemic. People are traveling, dining out, shopping, and otherwise going about their daily lives. The bad news? Downtown streets are once again overwhelmed with delivery trucks, rideshare vehicles, and side hustlers dropping off meals and groceries. The…Continue reading
An innovative pilot program in Cleveland, OH, is providing affordable artist housing while also building a stronger creative economy for the city. The Artist in Residence Program is a joint venture between the Northeast Shores Development Corporation and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. Several tools have been developed to attract artists and help…Continue reading
Just as downtown businesses are realizing that advertising the downtown as a whole benefits individual businesses, whole communities are reaping the benefits of a more regional approach to marketing. "We know that people travel from place to place and town to town and don’t necessarily travel by county or state lines,” says Lisa Challenger, director…Continue reading
Early in the history of Open on Main, a storefront activation initiative in Memphis, TN (est. pop. 628,127), Brett Roler, senior vice president of the Downtown Memphis Commission was careful to make pop-ups look and feel like permanent businesses. Roler required retailers to operate full business hours, and the signage gave no hint that the…To read more — login/subscribe
A new program in Indianapolis, IN, highlights downtown as a safe area while also educating the public about safety and who to contact with questions and concerns.Downtown Indy collaborated with the city’s police department to create safety cards that highlight the joint actions of the two organizations, as well as providing phone numbers for non-emergencies…Continue reading
For decades after it opened in 1930, the Soo Theatre was the place to see a movie in Sault Ste. Marie, MI (est. pop. 13,591). But when a multiplex came to town, the one-screen cinema struggled and finally closed its doors in 1998. A local nonprofit formed to buy the building in 2003. And while…To read more — login/subscribe
