Revitalization and Main Street Transformation Improvements to Main Street’s Signature Revitalization Framework Are around the Corner
By Patrice Frey Over the course of the past decade, America’s downtowns have experienced a renaissance, with boomers and millennials choosing to live in communities that are walkable and that provide distinctive character and diverse amenities. This is true for the biggest of counties and smallest of towns. But even with these powerful demographic forces at work, downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts can still face an uphill battle. Achieving the right mix of housing, retail, restaurants, transportation, green space, and more is a complicated calculus. For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance. Vibrant downtowns—like Lake City, Colorado (http://www.lakecitydirt.com); Woodbine, Iowa (http://www.woodbineia.org/main-street); or Birmingham, Alabama (http://www.revbirmingham.org)—are successful because of long-term, strategic, tactical growth and management. Over the past 35 years one tool in particular—the Main Street Approach—has helped communities to effectively organize, execute, and achieve their vision for success downtown. A Way Forward The Main Street Approach, and indeed the Main Street movement, grew out of rising concerns in the late 1970s and early 80s that the increasing suburbanization of the American landscape and urban renewal efforts were doing irreparable harm to downtowns and their older and historic structures. Harnessing a unique mixture of professional downtown management and volunteer engagement, the program offered a way forward for communities. It helped them prevent or reverse deterioration of the character of downtowns and commercial districts by focusing comprehensively on the overall health of these areas. 14
While Main Street-style revitalization has always looked slightly different depending on the local context, successful downtowns typically have one thing in common: They have pursued revitalization strategies that are comprehensive in scope. There is no quick fix or single project that can turn a downtown around. Successful place management and transformation can only be achieved through forwardlooking strategies, a comprehensive focus, and work across these four key areas: 1. Development of targeted economic development strategies that improve the mix and vitality of downtown businesses, cultural institutions, and housing. 2. The pursuit of quality design, including improving transit accessibility and walkability, as well as building rehabilitation and façade improvements. 3. Marketing of the district, including the development of a distinct branding and programming for the area to attract shoppers and visitors. 4. The successful development of a professionally managed downtown organization—whether that entity is housed with a city or county, or is a stand-alone nonprofit. Main Street America’s long-standing revitalization strategy, called the Four Point Approach, offers a critical playbook that corresponds to each of these four areas of focus—economic vitality, design, promotions, and organization—enabling local leaders, downtown managers, and volunteers to take revitalization into their own hands. Over the past 35 years, this approach has been used in more than 2,000 communities, generating nearly $65.6 billion in downtown reinvestment—often in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts that have faced significant disinvestment and decline (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Cumulative Main Street America reinvestment statistics since 1980.
Dollars reinvested: $65.6 billion
Net gain in jobs: 556,960
Number of building rehabilitations: 260,011
Net gain in businesses: 126,476
SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
