Main Spotlight: Eight Graphics that Explain Main Street Leadership in 2025
Explore the results of our 2025 Director's Survey!
As the Senior Director of Research, Mike develops research projects that demonstrate the power and potential of Main Street communities. This includes work managing research partnerships, steering research efforts from design through execution, and gathering and analyzing data related to the performance of Main Streets across the country.
Mike has more than 15 years of experience conducting groundbreaking research on the links between communities’ physical fabric and their social, cultural, and economic vitality. Between 2013 and 2020, Mike led research for the National Trust for Historic Preservation that empirically assessed the contributions that existing buildings and commercial districts offer cities.
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Through the Trust’s “Older, Smaller, Better” and “Atlas of ReUrbanism” projects, he demonstrated the statistical links between blocks of older, smaller, mixed-age buildings and an array of important community and economic development outcomes in more than 50 U.S. cities. Mike also played a significant role in the National Trust’s Partnership for Building Reuse with the Urban Land Institute, steering policy conversations focused on strengthening building reuse opportunities in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, and Louisville. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree (2006) and a doctorate in Planning, Policy, and Design (2010), both from the University of California, Irvine.
Contact
Email: mpowe@mainstreet.org
Phone: 202-588-6180
Location: Washington
Articles & Publications
Retail Matters 2024 Report
Produced in partnership with Virginia Retail Alliance, the 2024 Retail Matters research report features the economic, consumer, and technology trends impacting a wide spectrum of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Main Spotlight: What’s Worrying Main Street Entrepreneurs and How You Can Help
The Research team shares the results of the 2024 Small Business Success and Support survey and shares insights for Main Streets.
Staff Spotlight: Exploring Main Street Archetypes with Research Intern Jonathan Nerenberg
This summer, our archetypes intern explored different types of Main Streets and the unique challenges and opportunities that they face.
Main Spotlight: Exploring the Spring 2024 Small Business Survey Results
Our Research team shares the results of the Spring 2024 Small Business Survey, with insights related to small scale manufacturing in Main Street districts, opportunities to best support entrepreneurs, and more.
The Dalles, Oregon © Alicia Gallo
Diving into the BOOMS Tracker with Brian Kramer at Hilltop Campus Village
Meet BOOMS Tracker super user, Brian Kramer, and learn how he is using to tool to build a deeper understanding of his Main Street district.
Webinar: How to Build a Better Building Inventory with the BOOMS Tracker
Join the Main Street America Research Team for a webinar on June 20th to learn more about how to use the Building Opportunities on Main Streets Tracker.
People attending a tour of downtown Denison, Texas © Mel Climer — Climer Design
Take the Spring Small Business Survey
We are asking small business owners across the country to share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges they're facing as summer approaches.
New Morning storefront in Biddeford, Maine © Heart of Biddeford