Local First leads the development of an economy grounded in local ownership that meets the basic needs of people, builds local wealth and social capital, functions in harmony with our ecosystem, and encourages joyful community life. Independently organized Local First programs define local as follows: Locally owned Privately held Headquartered in the community When making the case for why to
The International Economic Development Council in their Economic Development 101 training suggest the best business recruitment strategy is a business retention strategy. How does one go about accomplishing that? Regular contacts for one. In a Main Street setting the motto should always be to “get out.” Only when the manager is out and about in the district can they see,
This example of vehicular wayfinding sign in Albion, Michigan, is both attractive and also designates as people are “entering” and “leaving” the Superior Street Commercial Historic District in Albion, Michigan. There is one pole but two signs with a slight difference of messaging on either side. The Youngs Home sign in Oyster Bay, New York is identical on each side.
We first became acquainted with the concept of a conversation landscape from the work by the urban designer Jan Gehl. The following quote from the book Life Between Buildings captured the concept well. “Chairs placed close together around a table, such as in sidewalk cafes, help conversations start. Good conversation landscapes can be found in traditional European train compartments. In
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 Saturday after Thanksgiving each year.
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 or 3x. This spending is
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, and well used places. Related
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 that could have. They are
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 point of origin by completing
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 Household Income $112,971– Groceries $3,757–