Many cities with a population of 150,000 or less struggle to compete with their larger neighbors and often have trouble attracting residents and new businesses. Small Cities Thinking Big explores the many ways that these cities can compete on a larger scale without sacrificing their authentic small-town character. … Continue reading
In Redding, CA, a new venture has brought together 18 small shops in one location. Called Gather Downtown, it’s not quite a business incubator, not quite an antiques mart or a food hall. Instead, it’s a middle ground, an initiative that fills vacant space, nurtures local entrepreneurs, and provides a downtown gathering place. "We wanted…
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Hoping to reduce severe accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, many downtowns have tested traffic roundabouts as an alternative to intersections with traffic signals. One city isn’t experimenting — it’s going all in. During the past two decades, Carmel, IN (est. pop. 101,918), has invested heavily in a plan to replace traffic lights with roundabouts. After…
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Downtowns are positioned to rebound strongly from the coronavirus pandemic. When that rebound might occur, however, is uncertain. That’s according to downtown leaders interviewed by Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter as the global pandemic spread. "Will we come back? Absolutely," says Dewitt Peart, president of the Downtown Austin Alliance in Austin, TX. However, Peart and others struggled to…
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In Redding, CA (est. pop. 92,958), a new venture has brought together 18 small shops in one location. Called Gather Downtown, it’s not quite a business incubator, not quite an antiques mart or a food hall. Instead, it’s a middle ground, an initiative that both fills vacant space and nurtures entrepreneurs. “We wanted to put…
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The little town of North Bend, WA (est. pop. 6,983), enacted a form-based code for its downtown in June, making it the latest municipality to embrace this type of zoning. Earlier this year, Fort Smith, AR (est. pop. 87,895), approved a form-based code for its downtown. That city’s zoning changes, which aim to make downtown…
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In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the closely watched Grants Pass case. The legal question centered on whether cities can prevent homeless people from camping in public spaces. A lower court had determined that city ordinances regulating camping on public property constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.…
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The summer kicked off with record-breaking heat across much of the U.S. In the Southwest and Southeast, the “feels-like” temperatures soared well above 100 degrees in July. For downtown leaders, the oppressive temperatures complicated plans for outdoor events — and they served as a reminder that cities need to start planning for intense heat. While…
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In January, Smyrna, GA (est. pop. 56,628), approved the sale of nearly an acre of downtown land to brewery owners — but only after a long fight. The city council voted 5-2 to let the Downtown Development Authority sell 0.94 acres of undeveloped property to StillFire Brewing for $600,000. StillFire, which operates a brewery in…
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Traditional economic development strategies focus on wooing corporations, the larger the better. But it makes more sense to focus on homegrown businesses, says Matthew Wagner, vice president of revitalization programs at the National Main Street Center. “It’s really about shifting our economic development focus to one of cultivating human capital rather than business recruitment,” Wagner…
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