Improve and Transform Your Downtown Community

03 Jul Improve and Transform Your Downtown Community

Have you ever driven through a town to discover that it is basically a ghost town? If so, you’d likely drive right through and never think twice about the town or remember its name, let alone plan a trip there. If this describes your community, here are some tips to help improve and transform your downtown community into something exciting and memorable!

First things first, check these things off your to-do list before any major transformations!

• Hold meetings with downtown business owners and community members. During the meetings, hold a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to better understand what your downtown has to offer, and more importantly, what it doesn’t. Then, brainstorm potential improvements, communicate these needs to the appropriate people and determine the best plan of action.
• Ensure that your community has a chamber of commerce and they hold frequent meetings. These are often the groups who have the community’s best interests in mind and will help make improvements.
• Get young adults involved in meetings and decisions. Ask for their opinions on what could help improve downtown functionality. There should be activities for all ages downtown, not just business owners, families and older community members.
• Photograph your downtown buildings to help discover what improvements need to be made. And once improvements have been made, you can share before and after photos!
• Take inventory and determine the quality of the trash cans, benches, streetlights, art, lines for parking spaces, trees, etc. Doing so will help you determine what improvements need to be made.
• Update and utilize social media and Google pages. Does your community have an appealing and user-friendly website and social media page(s)? If so, do they have updated information regarding activities, recreation, places to eat and stay, etc.? You don’t want people to find outdated information, old images or business hours, or even worse, nothing about what your community has to offer. If these pages don’t exist, create them! It’s also important for downtown businesses to check out what shows up in a Google search when they look for their business. When they do, ensure they have claimed their business (click here to learn how to do so) and their information is up to date on Google.
• Are there empty buildings downtown? If so, find a way to promote the space and encourage someone to rent it out and start a business!

Now for some easy ways to improve and transform your downtown community!

• Host fun events! Things like annual town/holiday celebrations, trivia nights at local bars, children’s activities, concerts, sporting events, etc are all great ideas. Then, create a calendar of events to share and promote them locally and regionally to bring local people as well as tourists.
• Create a strong relationship with local media! By doing so, it makes it much easier to share stories, events and news and get coverage when needed.
• Have volunteer opportunities often and recognize community members who help.
• Town clean-up day! Bring people together and help make your downtown beautiful by planting flowers, painting, planting trees, cleaning, etc.
• How do the store fronts look? Encourage business owners to have new window displays frequently and preferably lighted at night. And consider filling empty windows with something (historical artifacts from town, promotional items for school or local organizations, etc.)
• Use BINGO cards or a Passport to encourage community members to shop local and get out in the community. Then use chamber bucks as rewards. (More $$ spent downtown is a win-win!)
• Have “Small Business Saturday” or a shop local day along with fun events in your downtown area. This will give local businesses support and encourage community members to get involved downtown.
• Having nice, bright lighting is important at night. No one wants to walk downtown if it looks dark and uninviting.
• What is the parking situation like? Make sure people are able to easily park downtown and that lines are visible. No one wants to drive around the block five times looking for a parking spot or question if they’re going to get towed.

Looking to go even further to improve and transform your downtown community?

• Brand your town! Create a logo and slogan that are fun, easily recognizable and memorable and can be utilized for many things!
• Signage is important! Use your community’s logo and slogan for signs throughout downtown. This makes it easy for people to find their way around.
• Look into grant programs and apply for ones that could help make improvements to your downtown.
• Create a brochure that highlights your community with things to do, places to eat and stay, attractions, recreation, etc.
• Join the Main Street program.
• Hold fundraisers to make improvements to your downtown community.
• Use local artists to help paint the town with murals, utility boxes, benches, the opportunities are endless!
• Are there housing options above businesses downtown? This will keep people downtown and encourage them to eat local, hang out downtown, etc!
• Research popular downtown communities who have implemented many of these tips or are known for having a thriving downtown. Check out our feature we did on Rapid City, South Dakota’s downtown. Then plan a visit to get some new ideas!

Looking for more tips? Check out one of the leaders in downtown revitalization: Roger Brooks and the Destination Development Association. And if you have questions about how to improve and transform your downtown community or just need a little help, don’t hesitate to contact us!