State of Main: Fall 2016
Welcome to the inaugural edition of State of Main, the annual publication of Main Street America featuring thought leadership from across the network.
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Join us for three days of learning, connecting, and celebrating at Main Street Now 2025 in Philadelphia, from April 7 – 9.
Secure Your Spot!It is important to make sure your Main Street district is welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQ+ people. This template provides a simple scoring system that you can use to assess how friendly your district currently is for LGBTQ+ people to determine if you need to improve your outreach and inclusion efforts. Simply check each appropriate item and add up your score. Once you know where you stand, you can work on improving LGBTQ+ inclusion in your community.
Created by Shaw Main Streets Inc.
Waukegan, IL
Welcome to the inaugural edition of State of Main, the annual publication of Main Street America featuring thought leadership from across the network.
Watch this webinar to learn how to use data to understand your community, craft targeted resource, and respond to unique demographic needs.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are important values for Main Street organization. To ensure consistent practices across their organization, Heart of Biddeford created and implemented this DEI plan with guidelines for staff, board members, and others.
Biddeford, ME © Heart of Biddeford
These sample Communication Standard Operating Procedures from Heart of Biddeford provide an example of the communication policies that Main Streets should consider formalizing, including brand guidelines, DEI best practices, website, email marketing, social media, and more.
Biddeford, ME © McKenney Photography
This workbook from Colorado Main Street walks you through the steps needed to build a more inclusive engagement process, including reviewing best practices, defining your goals, discovering new audiences, and exploring new strategies.
Denison, Texas © Discover Denison
Creating a welcoming and inclusive downtown means you need to understand the rich cultural histories of your historic assets. This guide from the National Trust for Historic Preservation explores strategies to preserve sites of African American history
This nutshell guide will guide you through this process, and provide recommendations for templates and further recommended resources that will support you in developing your own materials.
A simple tool to help you evaluate the diversity of your board of directors along age, gender, race, sexuality, income, and more. Created by Indiana Main Street.
As community organizations, it is important for Main Streets to stand against racism and bigotry. This toolkit is designed to give you an understanding of the history of our country, the key tenants of allyship, and the ways that your organization can help reduce injustice.
Richmond, CA © Ellen Gailing
Watch this webinar to learn techniques and strategies to support minority entrepreneurs and create a diverse small business ecosystem.
With articles written by industry experts on topics ranging from the transformative placemaking to inclusive entrepreneurship, the publication is brimming with tools, tips, and strategies that will help you lead a results-oriented revitalization effort.
Learn how placemaking principles can be utilized as an implementation strategy of local Main Street efforts to empower community members and create more action-oriented programs
Metuchen, NJ © Lauren Beischer
An article from State of Main exploring the impact of entrepreneurship and examining ways to create inclusion in the development of entrepreneurship ecosystems. Published in State of Main.
Metuchen, NJ © Isaac Kremer
An article from State of Main describing the need for place-led economic development that produces strong economic outcomes for communities.
A look at the connection between the wellbeing of residents and the vitality of communities and explore the wide range of design elements and tools available that will lead to more active, accessible and connected Main Streets. Published in State of Main.
Learn about the important role that Main Street America programs have to play in building inclusive communities.
Explore the ways that the Sweet Auburn district in Atlanta, Georgia has used storytelling and history to preserve their culture and advance their downtown revitalization efforts. Published in Main Street Now Journal.
Learn about Sweet Auburn in Atlanta, which was just starting its journey back to prosperity, and H Street Main Street in DC, which has become a national success story. Published in Main Street Now Journal. Written by Teresa Lynch.
H Street, Washington DC
Use these accessibility standards to guide you as you make accessibility upgrades in your community. Published by US Access Board.
Chicago, Illinois © Max Bender
The importance of understanding multicultural design preferences as our business environment becomes increasingly diverse.
Local food system trends and a case study of Detroit’s historic Eastern Market and its efforts to change the city’s food system as well as revitalize adjacent neighborhoods.
Downtown Florence, South Carolina © True Light Photography
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