June 25, 2026

Does Your Downtown Need a Czar?

One of the largest cities in the world is focusing on small businesses.

New York City created the position of Mom and Pop Czar in April. The goal is to help small businesses navigate city government and get the support they need not only to stay open, but also to grow.

"Mom-and-pop businesses give every block, every neighborhood, every borough its unique identity," says the first Czar, Delia Awusi. "Our smallest businesses have unique needs, and now, they have a champion to look out for them in City Hall."

Awusi says she plans to take a closer look at some of the fines and fees faced by small businesses in New York City, such as the cost of permits and inspections from the Fire Department and Department of Transportation.

More on supporting small businesses appears regularly in Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.

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Recommended Reading

Signage and Wayfinding Design

Wayfinding signage is the voice of downtown. It invites visitors in. It suggests the experience to follow. And it guides all users to the best that the city center has to offer.

In one comprehensive volume, Signage and Wayfinding Design takes readers through the entire process of creating a wayfinding system for a single building, a downtown district, or an entire city.

It is organized around a three-part approach to understanding and designing wayfinding signage: Content, graphics, and hardware systems.

Each section includes the latest technology and requirements and is fully illustrated with over 350 full-color images of projects, concepts, drawings, and diagrams.

This second edition of Signage and Wayfinding Design provides essential background, insights, and inspiration for everyone involved in wayfinding projects.

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Signage and Wayfinding Design is just one of the many books on Improving Parking & Access available from the Downtown Development Center.