Introduction to Land Use, Finance, and Governance Issues Impacting Main Street Programs | Main Street America

Existing land use, finance, and governance structures influence the ways in which Main Street programs operate. These structures contribute to either a friendly or non-friendly environment for place-based economic development and community preservation. Below is an inventory of those structures, categorized as land use and zoning,” finance,” and governance.” A basic understanding of these structures can help a Main Street program become conversant in policy issues impacting the commercial district. 

In Boston, a man bikes in a bike lane will a bus drives in the lane next to him.

Boston, Massachusetts. © Aaron Doucett