January 29, 2026

Downtowns Mark the End of Winter

Spring is on the way, and it’s time to celebrate — with flowers. Across North America, spring blooms take center stage at a wide range of events that draw visitors and locals alike. There’s everything from large-scale seasonal festivals (like tulip or cherry blossom festivals) and competitive flower shows (like the Philadelphia Flower Show), to local garden tours, plant and flower sales, window decorating, and more.

Many of these events have run uninterrupted for 20 or more years, a testament to the ongoing appeal of these spring favorites.

A new arrival is the Flower Festival in Alpena, MI. The downtown comes alive each spring with beautiful floral creations made by local florist shops.

Visitors are invited to tour the downtown, snap a photo in front of spectacular floral backdrops, create their own bouquets, sip themed cocktails, and enjoy live music throughout the downtown.

Seasonal events and promotions are covered regularly in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.

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Recommended Reading

Streets Reconsidered: Inclusive Design
for the Public Realm

Streets Reconsidered provides a roadmap to redesigning city streets for modern living — Streets that accommodate people of all ages and abilities, using all travel modes, and promoting healthy urban living, social interaction, enhanced commerce, and environmental sensitivity.

The book is divided into six main sections each reflecting one of these important roles for today’s streets. Each section includes:

• An introduction to the core concepts and benefits of each type of street.
• Case studies showing the concepts in use. The cases are fully illustrated and include photos, plans, and schematics that demonstrate how the street works.
• Best practices. Based on the case studies and the authors’ work, the best practices section describes and illustrates important techniques and lessons learned.

Streets Reconsidered offers an inspiring and actionable view of all that streets can be in any community.

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Streets Reconsidered is just one of the many books on Good Design available from the Downtown Development Center.