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(Re)Building Downtown: A Guidebook for Revitalization is a resource for local elected officials who want to re-invigorate and strengthen neighborhood centers of economy, culture, and history through a smart growth approach to development.
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Biddeford, ME, is an old mill city reinventing itself through a downtown master planning project. This case study describes how the city successfully used storytelling to understand the core community values of its citizens. Local high school and graduate students firstly recorded and produced stories from a diverse group of citizens, then a master plan was developed which incorporated the priority issues identified in the stories.
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As many of our readers know, the decline of Main Streets is not just an urban or suburban phenomenon, but one that confronts rural communities across America as well. In this blog, Gary Toth and Fred Kent from Project for Public Spaces describe how Placemaking provides a powerful set of tools and strategies for improving Main Streets.
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Small towns face unique challenges when it comes to revitalizing their downtowns. This article offers a straightforward account of these challenges, with strategies which can help improve local decision-making and planning to overcome them.
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The National Association of Development Organizations’ case study, Facades, Festivals and Footpaths: Greenville, Kentucky’s Downtown Redevelopment, tells the story of Greenville’s downtown, and how it slowly deteriorated as development and investments moved elsewhere. But, through strong local leadership that sought community buy-in and active partnerships, it has undergone dramatic revitalization. Streetscape improvements, a tourism strategy and a new woodland area have made an attractive place for new...
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Rural Community Spotlight: Lavonia, Georgia is case study about a town which has suffered from long-term downtown vacancies. Lavonia has succeeded in revitalizing itself by focusing on business retention and developing place-based techniques. This NADO study reveals their strategies for strengthening their economy and community.
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Does it feel like every time you walk downtown one more storefront is vacant? Combating the downward momentum of vacancy and neglect is no easy feat. Here are eleven ideas for spurring investment in downtown businesses that can put your town on a path toward revitalization.
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Last November, Live Oak, FL hosted a CIRD workshop on how to rebuild their downtown. Eight months later, we are so impressed with how much the town has already improved, and has turned the guidance and ideas from the workshop into major strides towards revitalization.
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A strong and vibrant Main Street is quintessential to the core of small-town America. It also proved to be a priority for many of this year’s CIRD Learning Cohort. Learn more about why cohort participants feel so passionately about improving Main Street in their communities.
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Kristina Norman’s article for the Delta Democrat Times captures the CIRD team’s visit to Greenville, Mississippi. Norman describes the team’s initial impression, illuminating the issues that the CIRD workshop and resource team members will seek to address in Greenville’s move towards racial and economic equitability through the redevelopment of their historic downtown.
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