Downtown visitors don’t get much joy from parking tickets, but in Muncie, IN, they can feel a little bit better about paying them. For several weeks in July, parking tickets could be paid by donating cat food or cat litter to Muncie Animal Care & Services. In other cities, such as Las Vegas, drivers have…To read more — login/subscribe
April 16, 2020 — While downtown restaurants have been severely impacted by efforts to fight the coronavirus, two cities have gotten creative. In addition to offering take-out and delivery services, special partnerships are helping. In New Orleans, a supermarket chain is stepping up to offer support to struggling downtown restaurants. Rouses Markets is testing a…Continue reading
Newport News, VA, has seen a sharp drop-off in sales tax revenue since the start of the pandemic and has canceled several capital projects including the construction of a downtown parking garage. Mayor McKinley Prince tells NPR that the city has to make some tough decisions. “You know we can’t jeopardize our safety services like…To read more — login/subscribe
As the coronavirus began to spread, public health advocates, government officials, and the media reached a consensus: Urban environments exacerbate the spread of Covid-19. There’s a small problem with that conclusion, however. It might not be true. In a study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and…To read more — login/subscribe
The official statistics say downtown Memphis, TN (est. pop. 650,618), isn’t in need of additional emergency shelter beds for homeless people. But Jared Bingham looks around and sees that the official stats don’t tell the full story — there are many people in Memphis, especially women, who need shelter. “Memphis has about 8,000 families that…To read more — login/subscribe
“For too long, libraries have been under-appreciated, often drawing less interest and attention than a new sports arena, shopping complex, office tower, or theater,” says Wayne M. Senville, former editor of the Planning Commissioners Journal. “The good news is that this has begun to change, as more communities are recognizing the value that having a…To read more — login/subscribe
Back in 2016, New Haven, CT (est. pop. 130,257), launched a campaign to market locally produced goods by giving products a distinctive logo and promoting them under the Made in New Haven brand. As of mid-2021, the program is still going — although it has lost much of its momentum, one city official says. On…To read more — login/subscribe
The coronavirus pandemic has upended downtown real estate markets. Many city centers suddenly have too much office space and not enough housing, a shift that has caught the attention of housing economists and developers. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently published an overview of downtown office buildings that have been converted to housing in…To read more — login/subscribe
In Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, downtown leaders have activated streets and alleyways over the past five years, an initiative that has contributed to the neighborhood’s revitalization and strong sense of place. The effort links Dairy Block, Market Station, and McGregor Square, creating what LaDonna Baertlein, director of business development at design firm DigStudio, calls…To read more — login/subscribe
In Chicago, city leaders have banned unaccompanied minors from a major downtown park after 6 p.m. In St. Louis, police shut down electric scooters downtown. In Grand Rapids, MI, city officials are wrestling with whether to station more police officers downtown. And in Pittsburgh, PA, the mayor felt compelled to announce a multi-pronged “plan for…To read more — login/subscribe
