The Main Street Approach
Downtown revitalization is based on four
points:
Organization - Building consensus and cooperation between
groups that play roles in the life of a downtown. Many individuals and
organizations have a stake in the economic viability of the downtown,
including:
-
City
and County officials - Downtown residents -
Local media
-
Local
industries - Bankers - Chamber
reps
-
Civic
groups - Property
owners - Professionals
-
Schools - Merchants
-
Real
estate agents - Historical
societies
-
Utilities - Consumers
Design- Involves improving downtown's image by
enhancing its physical appearance - not just that of buildings, but also:
-
Streetlights
- Window displays
-
Parking
areas - Signs
-
Sidewalks - Promotional
materials
and all other elements that convey a visual
message about what downtown is and what it has to offer.
Promotion - Involves marketing downtown's unique
characteristics and conveying a positive image to local and near residents,
shoppers, investors, new businesses, tourists, and others. Activities include
special events and ongoing programs to build positive perceptions of the
downtown area.
Economic
Restructuring - Also known as Business Development, economic
restructuring means strengthening the existing economic base of the downtown
while diversifying it.
Economic restructuring activities include helping existing downtown businesses
expand, recruiting new businesses to provide a balanced mix, converting unused
space into productive property and sharpening the competitiveness of downtown
merchants.
The key to the success of the Main
Street approach is its comprehensive nature. By carefully integrating all four
areas into a practical downtown management strategy, the Main
Street approach produces fundamental changes in the downtown's economic base.
The Main Street Approach to Downtown Revitalization
In the past 40
years, America's downtowns have changed drastically. The creation of the
interstate highway system and subsequent growth of suburban communities
transformed the ways in which Americans live, work, and spend leisure time.
With improved transportation routes, people found it easier to travel longer
distances to work or shop. Roads that once connected neighborhoods to downtown
now carried residents to outlying shopping strips and regional malls.
Throughout the nation, in town after town, the story repeated itself Downtown
businesses closed or moved to the mall, shoppers disappeared, property values
and sales tax revenues dropped. Some downtowns sank under the weight of their
own apathy. Neglected buildings, boarded-up storefronts, and empty,
trash-strewn streets gradually reinforced the public's perception that nothing
was happening downtown, that nothing was worth saving there.
In many
communities, downtown merchants and property owners tried to halt the spiral of
decline by imitating their competition - the shopping mall. They covered
traditional commercial buildings in aluminum, plywood, or multicolored panels
and tacked garish, oversized signs onto upper-floor facades. Some communities
tried to reverse the decline with even more expensive and permanent methods:
closing off the entire downtown to vehicular traffic in attempts to create
pedestrian environments conducive to shopping. In most cases, though, these
well-meaning (but usually ineffective) efforts did not stabilize downtown sales
or property values. Instead, they reinforced the decline by isolating
the downtown from consumers even more.
The
need to revitalize downtown commercial districts is clear. A healthy, viable
downtown is crucial to the economic health and civic pride of the entire
community for
several reasons. A healthy downtown retains and
creates jobs. A healthy downtown also means a stronger tax base; long-term
revitalization establishes capable businesses that use public services and
provide tax revenues for the community. A revitalized downtown increases the
community's options for goods and services, whether for basic staples like
clothing, food, and professional services or for less traditional functions
such as housing or entertainment. Finally, revitalized downtowns are symbols of
community caring and a high quality of life, factors that influence corporate
decisions to locate to a community.
The Main
Street Project
In 1977, concerned about continuing threats to
traditional commercial architecture in economically sluggish downtowns across
America, the national Trust for Historic Preservation launched the Main Street
Project. The three-year demonstration project was designed to study the reasons
downtowns were dying, identify the many factors that have an impact on downtown
health and, finally, develop a comprehensive revitalization strategy that would
encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation
Introduction 1
In a regional
competition among 70 towns, three pilot communities, ranging in size from 5,000
to 38,000 people were chosen for the project: Galesburg, Ill., Madison, Ind.,
and Hot Springs, S.D. The National Trust assisted the three communities by
providing an analysis of each downtown's assets and needs. These architectural
and economic profiles, which were conducted by consultants under the direction
of the Trust, served as the basis for economic revitalization strategies and
design improvements. With a grant from the manufacturing firm Bird and Son, the
Trust hired a full-time Main Street project manager for each community. The
project manager's role was to serve as an advocate for the downtown, coordinate
project activities and convince merchants, property owners, and city
officials to commit funds now for long-term benefits later. In effect, the
three project managers served as catalysts for change.
During the
demonstration program, the groundwork for the Main Street approach to downtown
revitalization was established. What became clear over the three years was the
importance of a strong public-private partnership, a committed organization, a
fulltime project manager, a commitment to good design, quality promotional
programs, and a coordinated, incremental approach to economic development. By
almost any standard of measurement, business improved in all three downtowns
during the Main Street Project. Seven new businesses opened in Hot Springs, six
in Madison, and thirty in Galesburg. Sales tax revenues increased by 25 percent
in Hot Springs, while the downtown occupancy rate in Galesburg rose to 95
percent. Moreover, for every dollar spent on managing the local Main Street
Project. $11 was invested by private businesses in rehabilitation and
adaptive-use projects.
The National Main Street Center (NMSC) was established by the National Trust in 1980 to share the successes of Hot Springs, Madison and Galesburg with communities throughout the country. The Center, located in the Trust's Washington, D.C. headquarters, was initially supported by several federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Endowment for the Arts, Department of Transportation, Economic Development Administration, Small Business Administration and Farmer's Home Administration. The Trust's Midwest Regional Office became the NMSC staff.
In collaboration with the International Downtown
Executives' Association (IDEA), the Trust designed a second demonstration
program. Although many components were the same as in the original pilot project,
some changes were made to the Trust's relationship with communities. First the
NMSC would provide assistance to communities
through state Main Street programs, each
headed by a state coordinator. This
would help stated develop networks through which to mobilize resources, share
experiences and transfer lessons to other communities. Additionally, the
communities involved in the second demonstration program would be responsible
for hiring their own staff, which
would make the local project managers better advocates for their downtowns.
Introduction 2
National Main Street Center
In the spring
of 1980, the Trust announced a competition to select six states to participate
in the demonstration program. With the assistance of IDEA and the Council of
State Community Affairs Agencies, the NMSC selected Colorado, Georgia,
Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas from the 38 states that submitted
applications. In turn, each of
the six states chose five towns to serve as its initial Main Street network.
The state
demonstration program concluded in late 1983 with impressive results. Twenty of
the communities formed new downtown organizations, while eight towns
substantially strengthened existing groups. Twenty-eight of the towns
established lowinterest loan pools or other
incentive programs to stimulate facade renovation and building rehabilitation
projects, resulting in more than 650 new facades and nearly 600 rehabilitations
- with a total investment of more than $64 million. There were 1,050 business
starts, with business failures less than half of that figure. Many of the
communities also developed and implemented formal business recruitment programs
and programs designed to attract developers and investors.
Expansion
of the national Main Street Center
In 1984, the
National Main Street Center expanded its family of states involved in
downtown revitalization. By 1988, this coalition had
grown to include 29 states and more than 400 communities.
To
make the Main Street approach available to an even wider audience, the national
Main Street Center organized the country's first national video conference
focusing on the downtown. In September 1984, the five-hour, live television
broadcast linked more than 26,000 people in 450 towns across the country to
learn how Main Street works. After the broadcast, the NMSC produced a series of
how-to videotapes and user guides on several key revitalization issues. The
National Endowment sponsored the videotape series and videoconference for the
Arts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development
Policy.
In
a further effort to bring the Main Street approach to more people, the Center
founded the National Main Street Network in the spring of 1985. This membership
program is designed to offer those involved in downtown revitalization access
to the information, knowledge and experiences of their colleagues
throughout the country. Member communities receive the monthly newsletter Main
Street News, which focuses on the stories, issues and concepts affecting
downtown revitalization. Information is also shared in the Network through a
telephone "hotline" for technical advice and referrals on issues of
fast-breaking local concern.
Introduction 3
National Main Street Center
The NMSC launched a third
demonstration program early in 1985, this time working with communities with
populations of more than 50,000. Eight cities were chosen to participate in the
Urban Demonstration Program, with four programs focusing on downtown commercial
districts and four focusing on neighborhood commercial districts. The Urban
Demonstration Program concluded in 1988.
In September 1986, more than 500
local Main Street program leaders and others interested in downtown
revitalization attended the first Main Street National Town Meeting, held in
Winston-Salem, N.C. Due to its success, the National Town Meeting has become an
annual conference.
The Main
Street approach to downtown revitalization is based on four points:
o
Design involves improving the
downtown's image by enhancing its physical appearance - not just that of
buildings, but also of street lights, window displays, parking areas,
signs, sidewalks, promotional materials, and all other elements that convey a
visual message about what the downtown is and what it has to offer.
o
Organization means building
consensus and cooperation between the groups that play roles in the downtown.
Many individuals and organizations in the community have a stake in the economic
viability of the downtown, including:
o Bankers
o
Property owners
o
City and county officials
o
Merchants
o
Downtown residents
o
Professionals
o
Chamber of Commerce
representatives
o
Local industries
o
Civic groups
o
Historical societies
o
Schools
o
Consumers
o
Real estate agents
o
Local media
Promotion involves marketing the downtown's
unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, new businesses, tourists, and
others. Effective promotion creates a positive image of the downtown
through retail promotional activity, special events and ongoing programs to
build positive perceptions of the district.
o
Economic Restructuring means
strengthening the existing economic base of the downtown while
diversifying it. Economic restructuring activities include helping the existing
downtown businesses expand, recruiting new businesses to provide a
Introduction 4
National Main Street Center
balanced mix, converting unused space into productive property and
sharpening the competitiveness of downtown merchants.
The key to the success of the Main
Street approach is its comprehensive nature. By carefully integrating all four
areas into a practical downtown management strategy, the Main Street approach
produces fundamental changes in the downtown's economic base.
The Main
Street approach also relies on eight principles:
Introduction 5
National Main Street Center
5.
The Main Street program focuses on existing assets. Each community is
unique, and
each
downtown has special characteristics that set it apart ITom
all others. By
creating a
strong revitalization effort based on the downtown's unique assets, each
local Main
Street program creates an organizational structure that builds on its own
specific
opportunities. In this way, the Main Street program is adaptable.
6.
Main Street is a self-help program. Without the will to succeed and the
desire to
work hard
to bring about change, no downtown revitalization program will be
successful.
Grant programs can help fund pieces of the work plan and outside
consultants
can provide guidance, but without local initiative, the Main Street
approach
will not work.
7. The Main Street approach is
incremental in nature. Downtown commercial areas did
not
lose their economic strength overnight; it happened over a period of years,
with a
number
of small declines gradually leading to a severe downward spiral.
Improvement must be gradual,
too. Cataclysmic changes, like those brought about by
urban
renewal's large-scale land clearance programs and massive infusions of
funds o
build
pedestrian malls, have rarely created long-term downtown economic growth.
The Main Street approach relies on a
series of small improvements that begin to
change
public attitude about the downtown, making the area's investment climate
more
favorable. Gradually, the small changes build to larger ones as the local
revitalization
organization gains strength and becomes efficient in mobilizing
resources
for downtown revival.
8.
The Main Street program is implementation oriented. By identifying and
prioritizing
the
major issues that downtown must confront, revitalization organizations can
develop
work programs that break down the large issues into smaller tasks. Then, by
developing
a strong network of volunteer support, Main Street programs build
organizational
structures capable of achieving the quantifiable tasks mapped out in
the
work plans.
What
Makes a Local Main Street Program Successful?
Not all local Main Street programs
have been successful in creating meaningful long term change. Without
exception, local programs that have failed have done so for one or more of the
following reasons:
o
Failure to make a three-year
commitment to the Main Street program. All the changes necessary to restore
downtown's economic viability will not just happen in three years; in fact, in
that time they will probably just have begun to take place. But a commitment to
participate in the program for three years is essential. Based on the NMSC's experiences with communities across the country, it
takes a minimum of three years
for
Introduction 6
National Main Street Center
a local Main
Street program's organizational structure to become self-sufficient and
firmly rooted in
the community.
o Failure to work in all four
points of the Main Street approach. The Main Street approach is comprehensive, with activity in one
area reinforcing activity in the other three. Programs that have concentrated
on just one point have seen limited success in that area - but, without support
from the other areas, have been unable to build on
that success to create long-lasting positive change.
o Failure to establish a true
public-private partnership. Both sectors must be
involved as full
partners for the Main Street program to be successful.
o Failure to hire a full-time
project manager. The
project manager helps the board develop and implement policy and serves as the
coordinator for the network of volunteer activity that makes the program
successful. Without full-time coordination, local Main Street programs are not
able to sustain long-term growth.
The Importance of a Comprehensive Approach
Real estate appraisal theory holds
that, for a commodity to have value, it must have four elements: scarcity,
purchasing power, desire (for the object) and utility. If a commodity has these
qualities, it has value. These criteria do not exist in a vacuum, though;
social, political, economic, and physical forces affect them. Value, therefore,
is not a fixed state - it
fluctuates within the market.
If a downtown has lost value
through declining sales (desire), market erosion (purchasing power),
lack of maintenance, traffic and parking (utility) and the proliferation
of other commercial centers (scarcity), it makes sense that, through the
following steps, it can create an image of value again.
o Create better access, public
improvements and building maintenance (design)
o Target the most appropriate
markets for promoting the downtown and the goods and services it offers (promotion)
o Strengthen existing businesses
while recruiting new ones (economic restructuring)
o Bring together the groups
necessary to make change happen (organization)
o
Capitalize on the unique historic
assets that create a scarce commodity
The
image created through the Main Street program's comprehensive approach
reinforces a sense of scarcity (the historic area), purchasing power (of the
entire market area), desire (of people to show and invest in the downtown) and
utility (access, design of buildings and public improvements). Through a Main
Street program, the downtown's image will again
become one of worth and value in the marketplace - the essence of economic
revitalization.