In 2020, a catastrophic windstorm ripped through Cedar Rapids, IA (est. pop. 133,125). In addition to several deaths and billions of dollars in property damage, the storm destroyed more than half of Cedar Rapids’ tree canopy. Landscape architect Patrick Alvord says the storm destroyed 670,000 trees, a toll he calls “likely the greatest single urban…To read more — login/subscribe
In Coon Rapids, IA (est. pop. 1,244), the Main Street organization has transformed two grain bins into 360-degree murals that mark the entrance to downtown. “After many years of work, the new mural is a wonderful success, bringing a sense of place to a longstanding feature of the community,” says Katie Mason, executive director of…To read more — login/subscribe
Downtown Louisville, KY (est. pop. 628,594), is struggling with a familiar problem — work-from-home trends mean fewer workers are commuting to offices. To fight back, the city has unveiled a new incentive program to entice large office users to relocate or expand in the district. Downtown’s vacancy rate has jumped from about 12 percent before…To read more — login/subscribe
As downtowns upgrade parking systems, they experience both greater efficiencies and technological growing pains Coin-operated parking meters are going the way of telegraphs, typewriters, and payphones. Downtowns nationwide have scrambled to replace old-fashioned parking meters with kiosks and apps that centralize payment collection. The new digital systems allow for more secure payment methods, and they…To read more — login/subscribe
Several cities nationwide are testing solar-powered products that provide free Wi-Fi and smartphone charging stations while simultaneously gathering pedestrian activity and traffic pattern data. In Oak Park, IL, the first Soofa Core unit was installed in a city park last August, closely followed by units in three other urban parks. The device, located adjacent to…Continue reading
In recent years, Elizabeth Cook noticed that building owners in Charles Town, WV (est. pop. 6,373), stopped applying for the city’s façade improvement grants. The problem? Every building owner who needed a grant had already gotten one. So Cook, downtown coordinator at Charles Town Now, came up with a plan to transition the program to…To read more — login/subscribe
Closed streets draw visitors The Open Streets program returned to Salt Lake City, UT, with new fall dates this year. The special fall edition ran from September 15 through October 28, every Friday and Saturday from noon to 1 a.m. During that time, a central portion of Main Street was closed to automobile traffic to…To read more — login/subscribe
A few cities are testing a high-tech innovation in a decidedly low-tech corner of urban placemaking. San Francisco (est. pop. 884,363) and Pittsburgh (est. pop. 302,414) are among the cities that are relying on “smart” trash bins that use sensors to alert garbage collectors as the receptacles reach capacity. While no downtown benefits from overflowing…To read more — login/subscribe
Santa Cruz, CA (est. pop. 64,729), has a thriving downtown. Some 4,000 workers have jobs in the district, and downtown’s mix of early-morning cafés and late-night bars create what Claire Gollogly, the city’s transportation planner, calls a “23-hour” city. There is a catch, though. Downtown Santa Cruz is home to just 2,000 parking spaces. “We…To read more — login/subscribe
The Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District is a regional destination for employment and recreation in the heart Fort Wayne, IN. It is also the subject of a travel writing course at Homestead High School, where students were tasked with researching and writing 500 word essays about a single downtown block. The ultimate goal for the…To read more — login/subscribe
