Retail promotions are designed to make cash registers ring for businesses. This is different from special events that draw people to an area but does not typically lead to direct spending at local businesses. Small Business Saturday is perhaps the best known example of a retail promotion, encouraging people to shop at small businesses the … Read more
A parklet is not only a physical intervention but also an economic one. To transform a parking spot on average of 250 to 400 square feet into a place for people allows getting a greater return on investment. Various studies have shown that spending by parklet users can boost revenue at neighboring businesses by 2x … Read more
Pavement to plaza is a global movement to reclaim parking lots and repurpose them for use by people. William “Holly” Whyte famously said people are most likely to sit where there are places to sit. Food is among the best tools to attract people. Put these together then you have a formula for active, loved, … Read more
Open Space Technology is something I first became acquainted with in 2017. Since that time it has become an organizing principle for every meeting I moderate. The rules are simple: When it starts is the right time. Who shows up are the right people. When its over, its over. Whatever happens is the only thing … Read more
Trail connectivity provides a promotional funnel to attract customers and dollars to an area. Some routes are local in nature. Often loops are best, such as the Atlanta Belt Line, Dragons Tooth (Blacksburg, VA), and the Billy Goat Trail (Great Falls, MD). People can get on or off at any point and return to their … Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) to estimate retail market demand, based on the current household demographic characteristics. There are a number of expenditure categories in the CEX that can be omitted from the estimate, as these are atypical (e.g., funerary services). This example demonstrates how to calculate market demand for Metuchen, New Jersey in 2017. Average … Read more
Flag signs are the worst. They obliterate the human scale and are difficult to read… unless your business is on the highway and you are trying to catch the attention of drivers for half a second while speeding by 60 miles an hour. I encourage every design conscious downtown to eliminate flag signs, and work … Read more
Triadic closure is an important skill for building strong and resilient networks. As an example, I know Hannah and Ed but they might not know each other. Introducing Hannah and Ed opens the possibility for connection and sharing between their networks. This skill is most powerful in person but introductions may also be done by … Read more
The following are my recollections from the Main Street Now conference in Boston, Massachusetts. This was written 15 months after the conference itself. We drove from New Jersey to Boston, crossing the Hudson River on the still relatively new Mario Cuomo bridge. Joining me on the trip this year was my wife Chrissy. As we … Read more
Single Span. Redding Road. Single Span. Poured concrete with recessed vertical bands giving a strong verticality. Buttressing near springing. Plattsville Road. Single Span. Congress Street. Single Span. Closed railing with Art Deco channeling. Stepped back ziggurat buttresses at either end in the Art Deco style. Single Span. Burr Street. Single Span. Simplified geometric detailing. Groups … Read more