Description
Resilient Downtowns details innovative and successful approaches that small and mid-sized cities have used to revitalize their core downtown areas.
While the downtown success stories of large cities have been well documented, those of smaller communities are less well known. With this in mind, author Michael A. Burayidi focuses on small and mid-sized cities.
He explores how 14 representative downtowns have weathered economic boom and bust, and details the approaches that they have in common. These include residential development, immigration strategies, civic functionality, heritage tourism, and good design practices. The case studies and related text show how this process can revitalize downtowns in any city.
As a professor of urban planning, Burayidi’s work is thoroughly researched and documented yet accessable and easy to apply.
Key features of the book include:
- Fourteen case studies showing how successful communities have redeveloped, and how their success can be replicated in other downtowns
- Information on how to revitalize in periods of austerity and how the recession affected revitalization in small cities
- An alternative model to the Main Street Model with a focus on baby boomers, non-traditional families, new immigrants, cultural tourism, and regional culture.
Table of Contents
- Bringing Downtowns Back to Life
- Regional and Historical Context of the Resilient Downtowns
- Cultivating Downtown Living
- Courting New Immigrants
- Downtowns as Civic and Cultural Centers
- Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism
- Designing Resilient Downtowns
- Economic Distress and Downtown Revitalization
- Downtown Alive!
The featured downtowns
- Charlottesville, VA
- Chico, CA
- Fort Collins, CO
- Greenville, SC
- Hendersonville, NC
- Holland, MI
- Lafayette, IN
- Mansfield, OH
- Middletown, CT
- Nacogdoches, TX
- Ripon, WI
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Fe, NM
- Wilmington, DE
About the Author
Michael A. Burayidi is Irving Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Urban Planning at Ball State University, Indiana. He is also author of Downtowns: Revitalizing the Centers of Small Urban Communities.