Foundations: Design
Design is one of the Four Points of the Main Street Approach, the leading downtown and commercial district revitalization framework.
A Roadmap for Your Community
The Main Street Approach™ offers community-based revitalization initiatives with a practical, adaptable framework for downtown transformation that is easily tailored to local conditions. The Main Street Approach helps communities get started with revitalization and grows with them over time.
Stevenson, Washington © Alicia Gallo
The Fundamentals
The Main Street Approach is centered around Transformation Strategies. A Transformation Strategy articulates a focused, deliberate path to revitalizing or strengthening a downtown or commercial district’s economy. Each Transformation Strategy is implemented through activities in the four broad areas of work represented by the Four Points: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.
Transformation Strategies – generated through meaningful community engagement and informed by an analysis of the district’s market position — help to guide a revitalization program’s work. An effective Transformation Strategy serves a particular customer segment, responds to an underserved market demand, or creates a differentiated destination.
Some “ready-to-use” strategies — called Catalyst Strategies — fall into two broad categories: those that are focused on a specific customer segment and those that are focused on an industry, product, or
service segment.
Examples include:
• Workers and Residents
• Elder Friendly and Aging-in-Place
• Family-Friendly
• Agriculture Center
• Arts (performing and visual)
• College Town
• Convenience Goods and Services
• Entertainment and Nightlife
• Knowledge Economy
Transformation Strategies are implemented through comprehensive work in four broad areas, known as the Four Points.
ECONOMIC VITALITY focuses on capital, incentives, and other economic and financial tools to assist new and existing businesses, catalyze property development, and create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and innovators that drive local economies. Learn more >
DESIGN supports a community’s transformation by enhancing the physical and visual assets that set the commercial district apart. Learn more >
PROMOTION positions the downtown or commercial district as the center of the community and hub of economic activity, while creating a positive image that showcases a community’s unique characteristics. Learn more >
ORGANIZATION involves creating a strong foundation for a sustainable revitalization effort, including cultivating partnerships, community involvement, and resources for the district. Learn more >
Dive Deeper into the Four Points
Browse Video Series and Resources
Foundations: Economic Vitality
Economic vitality is one of the Four Points of the Main Street Approach, the leading downtown and commercial district revitalization framework.
Foundations: Organization
Organization is one of the Four Points of the Main Street Approach, the leading downtown and commercial district revitalization framework.
Foundations: Promotion
Promotion is one of the Four Points of the Main Street Approach, the leading downtown and commercial district revitalization framework.
Get Started
This comprehensive resource area in the Knowledge Hub examines how design, promotion, economic vitality, and organization can guide your community transformation efforts and provides resources on how to utilize the Main Street Approach and tailor to your local needs.
Wytheville, Virginia © Downtown Wytheville Inc.
Valley Junction — West Des Moines, Iowa © Historic Valley Junction
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