For downtown leaders with extensive wish lists for funding, the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada provide money for everything from pop-up parks to major infrastructure projects. However, securing federal funding isn’t always easy. To boost your chances of landing federal grants, you need to know what money is available and how to ask…To read more — login/subscribe
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
The cost of overstaying a meter is on the rise. In Chicago, a parking ticket costs $60. In Los Angeles, it’s $73. San Francisco exacts a fee of $83. And in Phoenix — an otherwise car-friendly city that charges some of the steepest rates — overstaying a meter will set you back $84. Motorists and…To read more — login/subscribe
Rochester, NY (est. pop. 209,325), is the rare municipality of its size without a business improvement district (BID). City officials are trying to change that, but they’re running into resistance from community members who question the very legitimacy of BIDs. The proposal to form a BID in Rochester has powerful backers. Supporters include Rochester Mayor…To read more — login/subscribe
A new park on eight acres beneath an Interstate 93 underpass now links two downtown neighborhoods in Boston, MA, while also providing an active urban space, cultural attraction, and parking amenity. Landscaped pedestrian boardwalks and bicycle paths along the Fort Point Channel create new connections between communities previously separated by highway infrastructure. This new park…Continue reading
In Iowa City, IA (est. pop. 75,231), 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 from downtown merchants to customers within a…To read more — login/subscribe
Scaling up downtown walking tours Downtown walking tours are a popular way to connect locals and non-locals with all that downtown has to offer. The Downtown Alliance, which manages Lower Manhattan’s business improvement district, created a Walking Tour Incubator Grant Program to spur the development of creative new tours and support budding tour operators. The…To read more — login/subscribe
When Evan Kaufman became executive director of the Hopewell Downtown Partnership a decade ago, the small city’s core was struggling. The neglected downtown of Hopewell, VA, was filled with rundown buildings. Food options were sparse, and locals didn’t think downtown was safe. "In Hopewell, it was beyond downhill," Kaufman recalls. "It had already passed the…Continue reading
In Tucson, AZ (est. pop. 545,987), and Boston, shared kitchens have attracted dozens of entrepreneurs who run catering businesses and food trucks. The concept is taking off nationally, in big cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta and smaller cities like Shreveport, LA, Harrison, MI, and Loveland, CO, where community kitchens act as incubators…To read more — login/subscribe
Northampton, MA (est. pop. 28,516), is working through an overhaul of zoning rules that would implement a form-based code in downtown and an adjacent neighborhood. It’s a step that’s gaining popularity nationwide as proponents of “missing middle” housing call for more flexibility in the types of property uses cities allow in and near downtowns —…To read more — login/subscribe
