Amid a wave of mass shootings nationally, downtowns have been the locations of a number of unfortunate incidents. On New Year’s Eve 2022, one person was killed and nine were injured during a mass shooting during a concert in downtown Mobile, AL. Earlier in the year, seven people were injured in a shooting in downtown…To read more — login/subscribe
When the tobacco industry left Danville, VA, decades ago, it left the downtown with massive inventory of vacant space. There was no easy solution, Danville lacked the population and wealth to attract national retailers. The city also lacked a core of local merchants. "There was a lot of infrastructure, but really not a robust business…Continue reading
San Diego will become the latest city to allow IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) Smart City to install advertising screens downtown. In June, the San Diego City Council approved a plan to install at least 50 interactive kiosks on public sidewalks. The screens, vertical rectangles that are about eight feet tall, display content to help visitors…To read more — login/subscribe
A century after two small towns in Oregon lost their trolley service, the transit option is back, in a modified form. Thanks to $3 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Monmouth, OR (est. pop. 10,735), and neighboring Independence, OR (est. pop. 9,850), are now connected by a trolley. The trolley doesn’t…To read more — login/subscribe
Before the pandemic, Minneapolis, MN (est. pop. 425,338), enjoyed a reputation as a rare economic boomtown in the Upper Midwest. Unlike Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, Minneapolis was experiencing a strong housing market and robust job gains. Then came the infamous May 2020 death of a Black man at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer,…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown leaders in Philadelphia have boosted safety patrols, hosted return-to-work events, handed out free coffee at transit stations, and spruced up Center City’s sidewalk flowerbeds. “As an organization, we’ve done everything we can to reactivate,” Paul Levy, chief executive officer of Center City District, told The Wall Street Journal this summer. Even so, the city…To read more — login/subscribe
The holidays are here again — and for many downtown leaders, that means it’s time to think about how to wrest some holiday spending from Amazon and suburban shopping malls. Locally branded gift cards have emerged as a popular way to spur local spending while also tapping into civic pride. For downtowns that have embraced…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
In Wichita, KS, city officials are making big changes to the downtown parking system — increasing hourly rates and fines, reducing the amount of free parking, upgrading parking meters, and tightening up enforcement. Despite some push-back, Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson says that the changes are necessary for the overall health of the downtown. He…Continue reading
Both Vancouver, BC, and Vancouver, WA, are known for their wet weather. And both downtowns have unveiled umbrella share programs for visitors and residents who find themselves caught in the rain. In Vancouver, WA, Vancouver’s Downtown Association has operated the Umbrella Share Program for two years, says Michael Walker, the group’s executive director. The Umbrella…Continue reading
