Perspectives

Twice each month, Downtown Idea Exchange provides detailed case studies, practical news reports, how-to information and hundreds of real-world examples of how traditional downtowns, business improvement districts, main street communities and others are growing and prospering.

A key feature of the newsletter is the monthly Perspectives Column. These insightful, and often controversial, articles are written by industry experts and leading practitioners.

The full text of these articles is provided here. If you would like to receive future articles and the twice monthly Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter on a regular basis, we invite you to subscribe today.

These documents may be viewed and printed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may download a free copy by clicking on the yellow icon.

	Time to rethink and reinvent downtown organizations?
	Downtown vacancies: Let’s get real
	Why downtowns will shine after the economic storm
	Public safety in a downtown area is always a sound investment
	Question is, Will downtown be ready for the bounce back?
	With such a bleak picture, where is the "blue sky"?
	Is downtown overly preoccupied with cleaning?
	In recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers, imagine downtown as winery
	Seek new strategies to preserve and protect downtown’s heritage
	Sometimes overly strict enforcement works against downtown progress
	Cultivating the Mommy Niche
	Every five years, a fresh start
	Ten realistic retail themes for a vibrant downtown
	Manage risk of TIF bonds for mixed-use and retail projects
	Downtowns need to cater to the needs of a more mature population
	Green buildings or sustainable development?
	Pioneering use of technology sheds light on power of volunteers
	Renewing downtowns through alternative methods of financing
	Creating a vibrant (and realistic) retail mix
	What exactly is a “downtown”?
	Downtown revitalization: Is your zoning helping or hindering it?
	Top 10 habits of highly effective downtown managers
	Downtowns, declare your intentions
	Adapting to new realities: How downtown managers can be more strategic
	Low budgets needn’t stop small-town BIDs from thinking and acting big
	Walk the walk to get the lay of the land
	Don’t fall prey to the big-box swindle
	Applying the principles of placemaking to effect a more dynamic downtown
	Learn to speak the language of development
	Face time is key to successful BID start-up
	Downtown parking: It is not as bad as it seems
	Sharing downtown growth: tax incentives and community benefits
	Downtown housing? Not without a plan
	The next generation of downtown development professionals
	Make friends to influence decisions
	Downtown vitality relies on competition, not regulation
	Why is assessing downtown’s performance so important?
	Small-city downtowns can benefit from their small-town characteristics
	Long-term business leadership is key to downtown’s success
	Redeeming downtown’s rooftops
	The 3 “Ps” of residential development
	Public purpose — What does it really mean?
	Strategic asset management and downtown as a mixed-use development
	Downtown housing and experience opportunities
	Nail, hair and skin salons: bane or boon?
	Principles of smart downtown parking
	Downtown can learn big lessons from small, medium and big cities
	Many downtowns simply lack the will needed for downtown revitalization