Part 2 of 3: Main Street Strategies in Action
This blog explores critical issues relevant to the community and economy of the Eastern Sierra and beyond. In the coming months, I'll continue sharing short articles that feature case studies, emerging trends, and conversations with experts in the field.
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This post is the second in a three-part series on downtown revitalization in rural communities. I hope it provides useful context and sparks ideas for efforts in the Eastern Sierra.
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Reviewing findings
In my last post (here), I explored several facets of rural Main Street revitalization, how small towns around the country are giving new life to their downtowns. From my research and discussion, a few key themes emerged.
1. No single policy or grant will transform downtown overnight. Long-term, community-led initiatives comprised of businesses, property owners, developers, and residents drive change.
2. Creating a vision for a market niche is crucial. Investments should align the needs of businesses, residents, and local officials.
3. The benefits of revitalization depend on the local context. Economic benefits like business growth and increased revenue aren't guaranteed—they vary based on a community's economic makeup and cultural factors. However, revitalization often brings other meaningful gains, such as improved quality of life and stronger community pride.
Strategies that drive action
In this second part of the series, I explore the role of downtown associations, the Main Street America program, and entrepreneurship training in revitalization efforts. This post highlights key takeaways from my conversations with practitioners and insights from a five-part Brookings Institution series on rural Main Street revitalization. Here's what I learned:
4. Community-driven downtown associations are often the driving force behind revitalization.
The experience of Oceanside, California, and other communities shows successful Main Street revitalization is often led by dedicated, community-driven downtown associations–not local government alone.
A local official in Oceanside emphasized that volunteer board and paid staff were fundamental to the city's downtown transformation. These organizations connect and bridge the gap between residents, businesses, property owners, and local government. The staff at these organizations are skilled Renaissance leaders who work with technical consultants, property owners, developers, businesses, and town councils to craft a vision, navigate the regulations, and align business and community interests.
Crucially, as one veteran downtown association leader told me, these efforts are usually not led by local government staff. Instead, they are third-party conveners who take the lead, ensuring revitalization efforts are grounded in community and business priorities. They also help develop the technical and financial mechanisms to turn grassroots ideas into reality.
One of the Brookings articles reinforced this concept, noting that downtown placemaking activities help build civic capacity, preparing communities for other long-term transformations. Main Street organizations provide critical support for small businesses over and above what local governments typically offer. They strengthen civic relationships that are vital for economic resilience.
The article also underscores the importance of equity strategies. Communities must ensure that historically underrepresented groups–tribes and Latino populations–have a voice in Main Street initiatives. These groups are often more housing-burdened and experience more barriers to accessing the civic organizations that drive revitalization.
5. The Main Street America program has been a valuable framework and network to elevate local efforts and secure funding.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation oversees the National Main Street Corridor Program, which includes Main Street America. In California, the affiliate is the California Main Street program. The national and state organizations provide a framework, capacity-building resources, and a network of Main Street programs to support local efforts.
The California Main Street organization outlines Transformative Strategies and Four Points to guide planning and implement commercial corridor improvements. This framework emphasizes community engagement and market analyses to identify gaps and opportunities. They also encourage creating distinctive experiences that reflect local character and culture. The Four Points approach includes:
Economic Vitality: Investment tools for property development and business and entrepreneurial support.
Design: Features to improve the physical aspects, aesthetics, and user experience of the corridor.
Promotion: Marketing of downtown to emphasize the district as a commercial and community center.
Organization: Partnership development for stakeholder and community engagement, linking community desires, business interests, and the regulatory and policy environment.
6. Connecting entrepreneurship training to revitalization efforts proved successful in several rural communities.
Successful Main Street revitalization isn't just about buildings and infrastructure—it's also about people. Several rural communities have seen success by linking revitalization efforts with entrepreneurship training programs that help small businesses grow and thrive.
Another of the Brookings articles on Main Streets in rural economies highlights the importance of a small business ecosystem approach, particularly within strong industry clusters like recreation and tourism.
One notable example is Emporia Kansas, where a multi-pronged, 20-plus-year effort combined a Main Street framework, zero-interest loan programs, tax credits, and financial incentives for small businesses. They also had housing initiatives and created business incubators to foster new startups. Another Brookings case study of Wythville, Virginia cited people-centered skills training that connected entrepreneurs with downtown revitalization actors. A local development authority and Chamber of Commerce provided business training and offered incentives to the winners of a business competition who committed to opening businesses downtown.
Up Next: Considerations for the Eastern Sierra
In the final part of this series, I'll explore some possible next steps for moving from conversation to action—including forming a local working group to start community planning, using Extension to connect with other communities and identify funding resources, and connecting with California Main Streets to learn from their framework.
Stay tuned!