It is always a fun exercise to spend some time poking around,  turning over rocks seeing what your neighbours are doing and learning from their experiences; right or wrong.  Luckily, there are enough municipalities out there that are getting it “right” that we have some role models we can learn from. Hopefully they don’t mind us being nosey…

… out west in Great Falls, Montana,

“Residents old enough to remember the late 1970s and the ’80s in Great Falls will recall that this was a community that was shuffling along with its head down.

The metals refinery operations had shut down, NORAD pulled out its operation from Malmstrom Air Force Base, and agriculture struggled with the double whammy of drought and depressed prices“

..and over in Smyrna, Delaware, views on the communities growth will be key in their next municipal election, as candidates are split on how best to move forward.  A preview of Windsor in 2010?

“SMYRNA — In some ways, Smyrna’s election Monday for mayor and two Town Council seats will be a referendum on growth in this booming town in northern Kent County.

The outcome may also vindicate or condemn Mayor Mark Schaeffer for the town’s recent nasty political culture”

..and in Wilmington, Delaware, what happens when its citizens and politicians share a common belief in their community and a desire to make it as liveable as possible…

“Belief in city brings $169 million investment.   Buccini/Pollin Group is planting ‘big seed’ projects along downtown Wilmington’s main thoroughfare”

..and closer to home in Port Huron, Michigan, a view of what a little financial incentives can do for revitalizing a downtown…

“Program aims to revitalize downtowns.  Money would aid city storefronts in St. Clair County

PORT HURON - Build an anchor store. Get rid of parking meters. Do away with taxes.

Many plans have hatched concerning the rebirth of dead downtowns, usually with mixed results.

But with financial assistance from the state, St. Clair County has a new idea: Get people to live where the action happens“

..in over in Stockton, California, a consultant hired to tell the municipality how to better market itself to outsiders reminded about 500 attendees at a forum last month that a city’s “heart and soul” is in its downtown.

“Bring it to life,” Roger Brooks of Seattle told the audience composed primarily of civic and business leaders.

..and in Northern Kentucky, municipalities have made the connection between a healthy downtown and economic revitalization…

“This year’s training session was in Winchester, Ky.—a town that has been revamped to feature a booming downtown—and included keynote speaker and economist Donovan Rypkema. He offered the following keys to a successful downtown:

-housing must be priority
-signage must be legible
-downtown must be accessible
-amenities (arts, sports, culture, shops, restaurants) must be present
-clean and safe
-preservation and re-use of old buildings
-regulations need to be streamlined; get rid of fixed parking restrictions
-city resources must be devoted to housing – credit enhancements
-downtown must be surrounded by viable neighborhoods
-downtown is never done”

..even the sleepy town of Flowery Branch, Georgia, with a population of 1,806 managed to attract the attention of developers willing to build a downtown urban village…

“Hortman and Dobbs Developers, LLC is planning a nearly three-acre, mixed-use development, dubbed Old Town Flowery Branch, to be built in the three blocks adjacent to Main Street along Pine, Chestnut and Church streets and Railroad Avenue.

“Our development will revitalize an older, inactive downtown,” said Flowery Branch resident Marty Hortman, who is partner with Kellin Dobbs in Hortman and Dobbs Developers. “Flowery Branch needed some new life breathed into it.”

Tags: Downtown, independant retail, investment, local economic development, relocalization, revitalization, subsidization