Join our mailing list to receive the latest Main Street America stories, news, events, and opportunities directly in your inbox.
Connect with us
Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.
Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
This mural in downtown Lansing was painted by local teenagers through an art program with muralmatics. © Downtown Lansing Inc
As Main Streets leaders, we talk a lot about how to create spaces that feel truly welcoming — to visitors, to residents, and to newcomers. We listen to and consider the opinions, preferences and cultural backgrounds within our communities and work hard to build Main Streets districts that reflect the people there. As many of us know, this can be a tricky balancing act — communities are never a monolith, and it can be a struggle to reconcile the competing visions, ideas, and needs of our stakeholders. Sometimes this struggle leaves us feeling like we’ve fallen short, even like we’ve failed some in our communities who we’re committed to including.
I’m interested in surfacing these moments of tension and struggle, because I think we have a lot to learn from each others’ experiences of grappling with the questions embedded in creating inclusive Main Streets. I want Main Streeters to know they’re not alone. By sharing not just our joyful moments of success, but our tough moments of indecision, doubt, and yes, even failure, we can build a more honest, more reflective movement together.
I recently sat down with Cathleen Edgerly, the Executive Director of Downtown Lansing, whose staff has recently been grappling with difficult and diverse conversations centered around public spaces. Over the past few years, in the face of an increasingly prevalent unhoused population with a high degree of care and social service needs, Downtown Lansing has discussed issues of who they’re serving and why. Although her team has found no easy answers, they’ve grown stronger and more committed to their core values of creating a downtown where all people and all places truly matter. I’m grateful to Cathleen for her courage in sharing her story — her team’s commitment to learning and growth through difficulty is emblematic of the strength, compassion, and leadership that’s so core to our network.
What’s the role of a Main Street organization?
Lansing is Michigan’s Capital City, located in the center of the state, and is home to more than 100,000 people. It’s a diverse city with a wide range of incomes. Downtown Lansing has a high percentage of senior and lower-income people, particularly in the area around Reutter Park, the city’s oldest park. For years, the park had been a space many people turned their backs on — many residents of the surrounding buildings reported feeling unsafe there because of visible drug activity and the perception of crime. Reutter Park is across from a library, and had recently installed a playground, but it still wasn’t drawing many families. Residents around the park had been clamoring for something to be done, and the City’s Parks & Recreation Department held a series of public input meetings about the park. Alongside the City, Downtown Lansing was committed to listening to residents through that process. Many residents and daytime workers were calling for more activities and activations to help make Reutter Park an accessible and welcoming space throughout the year.
In 2022, Cathleen and her team landed on a pop-up holiday market as one way to activate Reutter Park. The Kringle Market would be great for downtown’s start-up businesses and entrepreneurs, and would draw families, tourists, and daytime workers — a natural customer base to help activate the park. As Cathleen says, “Winter feels like it lasts forever in Michigan, so we were looking at a number of ways to get people outside and embrace it.”
For months, Cathleen and her team worked hard to get the market off the ground. When it launched in November of 2022, they were surprised to be met immediately by a very critical press article. The piece, which quoted advocates for the unhoused, accused the market’s organizers of ignoring the needs of the unhoused and purposefully displacing them from the park. The article honed in on the market booths — small shelters with heaters inside — as a symbol of the market’s cruelty. If Downtown Lansing could create temporary shelters for commerce, why couldn’t they do something to help the many, many vulnerable downtown residents who were forced to endure the Michigan winter outdoors?
The article sparked several more news stories, brought protestors to the market, and brought TV news cameras to the doors outside Downtown Lansing’s headquarters. Cathleen says, “This felt deeply emotional for our staff. We had worked hard to be inclusive. But instead of dismissing the pushback, we decided to take it to heart.” This moment of choosing to be open to conversation and reflection would change the way Downtown Lansing operates and how they think about their relationship with the communities they serve.
But instead of dismissing the pushback, we decided to take it to heart.
Cathleen knew immediately that her staff needed a guide for their reflections, and that that required a specific skill set. She brought on Dr. Linda Bailey, a DEI consultant, to lead her team over the coming months in some tough conversations about the organization was serving and why. One such conversation centered around whether the organization had an obligation to help provide social services for unhoused residents with a great many overlapping physical and mental health needs. Downtown Lansing was not set up to be a social service organization — would focusing on this area of great need pull them away from their core mission and the needs of others within their communities?
Dr. Bailey’s advice for staff, as Cathleen recalls, was the reminder that their role was not to “be the firefighter and fight the fire” but as those standing next to the fire, look at what they could do to help. In other words, lack of specific training, expertise, or even stated mission should never be a barrier to helping where need is the greatest. The team began looking for specific ways they could use their resources and connections to do outreach, and help make social services more accessible to those who need them.
The difficult conversation that began with the Kringle Market has spurred Downtown Lansing to take on several new initiatives. They joined property owners and businesses in funding a street outreach team, and worked with partner organizations to raise additional funds to cover year-round services and outreach. The street team is trained to approach unhoused residents, especially those in crisis, and connect them with care and services. Downtown Lansing has also made use of physical community message boards around downtown to highlight information about shelters, free medical and substance use services, and other offerings.
Cathleen and her team have focused on strengthening ties to social service and advocacy organizations that work with unhoused residents. Downtown Lansing has a strong partnership and growing relationships with nonprofit shelters and other groups in the district, and has followed their lead in how best to advocate and serve downtown’s most vulnerable residents. Among other initiatives, they have helped shape a norm among business owners and residents around who to call if they see someone in crisis. Knowing that police involvement can sometimes make a crisis worse, the community has a shared practice of reaching out to frontline service organizations first.
None of this has been easy. Business owners have raised legitimate health and safety concerns. Even deeply compassionate business owners say that unhoused people in visible crisis are driving customers away by adding to the perception that downtown is unsafe. And the sheer volume of need shows no sign of abating: many of the unhoused people are elderly, with health and care needs that even the social service sector is struggling to meet.
The Kringle Market ran again in 2023 with greater visibility for nonprofit social service and advocacy partners, but it will likely not be renewed in 2024. Cathleen cites a higher cost due to new, tighter regulations for what’s required to build out temporary commercial spaces. She says, “It’s just not a good use of resources with so many other needs downtown. It does feel like a loss after all this time — it feels like giving up, and that’s been hard.” She says she’s grateful to Downtown Lansing’s Board of Directors who has been deeply supportive and understanding of the difficult questions around the market’s future.
Cathleen points out that for the two years that it was in place, the Kringle Market did achieve many of the initial goals of activating the park, which had been important to the mostly older, low-income residents of the surrounding buildings. It brought more people to Reutter Park at more hours throughout the day. Residents reported seeing less drug distribution and crime, and feeling safer in the park. Market participants pointed to increased sales and visibility for their businesses. For many in the community, that was enough to consider the market a success. But for Cathleen and her team, the picture that has emerged has been a more nuanced one: the market was a moment of growth, the backdrop for a difficult but deeply necessary regrounding in the organization’s values of treating all people as they matter.
By sharing not just our joyful moments of success, but our tough moments of indecision, doubt, and yes, even failure, we can build a more honest, more reflective movement together.
“What’s the role of a Main Street organization?” asks Cathleen, “Is it just business support and marketing? We are beholden to those things, but we’re also beholden to community development, to meeting the specific needs of our specific communities.” She says that at Downtown Lansing, they have come to recognize their obligation not as just an organization with a narrow purview, but as connectors with access to a broad range of businesses, residents, nonprofits, and partners. Why not leverage this network and its resources to help the most vulnerable?
She says that through the difficulty of the past few years, Downtown Lansing has grown stronger as a team, and has made choices truly rooted in their shared values. And she knows that the tough conversations are ongoing and that there will be disagreement and conflict not just among stakeholders, but also among the team itself. But she also believes that despite this, the team has built an incredible amount of trust, and is better equipped to meet the ongoing challenges of the future.
Criticism can be an opportunity for reflection that leads to growth.
You’re not the firefighter but you might be standing next to the fire. You do not need to be an expert to help where there is need.
Tough conversations sometimes require an outside facilitator such as a DEI specialist.
Think of your role as a connector of resources: How can you leverage that role to meet community need?
Creatively brainstorm beyond policing; consider the example of the street outreach team as a model.
I am deeply grateful to Cathleen for sharing her story so openly and honestly so that I and others can learn from her and her team’s experience. To me, one of the most valuable parts of the Main Street movement is that it is a network rich in collective wisdom. There is so much lived experience that we all hold, and to be able to share the tough parts of this work with others who may be facing something similar means that no one of us needs to face these challenges alone. To me, this is what it means to lead with strength and vulnerability.
At the heart of thriving Main Streets are vibrant public spaces that unite people of all ages and backgrounds and enrich community life. And what better way to activate public spaces than through the power of free, live music?
Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
Learn how Main Streets can tap into federal resources to improve transportation infrastructure, take down barriers, and improve access to key services.
Main Street America is proud to announce the release of a new resource to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Marion, IA © Uptown Marion
This Boston Main Street installed an innovative street mural to highlight crosswalks and improve pedestrian safety.
These seven Main Streets have implemented innovative, exciting, and fun programs to help welcome dogs to their downtowns.
The RAISE program funds surface transportation projects with local and regional impact by enhancing safety, mobility, sustainability, and economic growth.
Streetscape improvements can make a big difference for Main Streets. © Grant Harper
Learn how Main Street America's work with the DOT's Thriving Communities Program is supporting transformative efforts with community partners like the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.
Apply for federal funding to remove, retrofit, or mitigate transportation infrastructure that creates barriers to community connectivity.
Art is a powerful tool for community change. Learn how the arts can improve community engagement, boost economic development, and connect with the Main Street Approach.
Streets play an important role in our downtown districts. Learn more about Main Street America's recent work with the Department of Transportation to promote vibrant and sustainable downtown roadways.
Learn how the Safe Streets and Roads for All program is providing grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
Streetscape in Denison, Texas. © Mel Climer — Climer Design
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
Learn how this Louisiana town has used an accessibility-first approach to build a welcoming and inclusive community.
Downtown Ruston, Louisiana. Photo by Henry McCoy.
Learn how the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta uses this unique mural program to celebrate Valentine's Day and raise important funding for their work.
Learn how micromobility can increase access, equity, and inclusion in your Main Street with examples from local programs across the network.
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Parking is a challenging problem for many Main Streets. We explored the arguments for and against free parking, and a method for conducting an inventory of parking in your downtown.
Miami, FL © Matt Alaniz
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
An innovative artistic project brings new life to the alleyways in Billings, Montana.
Billings, MT © Downtown Billings Alliance
In big cities and small towns, people face increasing danger when navigating communities on foot. As advocates for connected and walkable downtowns, Main Streets have a crucial role to play in increasing pedestrian safety.
Lansing, Michigan © Lansing 5:01
Learn how you can participate in the Thriving Communities program as a capacity builder or how you can receive support from the program.
To celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month, we explored three innovative and interesting parks-based projects and collaborations in Main Street communities.
Waterloo, Iowa, shares advice and lessons learned from their e-scooter program.
Learn how you can harness design principles and strategies to create a cooler, more welcoming downtown.
Main Street America was awarded $5.9 million to support 20 communities in the Main Streets Community of Practice through the Department of Transportation's Thriving Communities Program over the next two years.
The City of Leeds, AL welcomed a new downtown mural over the holidays that has brought a sense of excitement and anticipation for the continuing efforts to focus on the Leeds downtown district.
Leeds, AL © Jeremy Dove
What is more Iowan than turning grain bins into public art? Learn how Main Street Coon Rapids created these beautiful murals to celebrate their downtown.
Coon Rapids, IA © Main Street Coon Rapids
Pollinator gardens are fantastic ways to increase green space, promote sustainability, and educate your community on the local environment.
Crofton, MD © Kerry Kelly
The AARP Community Challenge program gives out quick-action grants to activate public spaces. Meet some of the Main Streets awarded grants through the program this year.
Learn how these outdoor microspaces can contribute to more vibrancy in our public spaces.
Chairman Emeritus Ed McMahon explores the power of place in creating spaces people love.
Boise, ID © christiannafzger
To support Georgia Main Streets throughout the recovery process and position them for long-term sustainability, Main Street America launched the Georgia Main Street Innovation Grant Program, made possible through generous support from The Williams Family Foundation of Georgia.
Thomasville, GA © Thomasville Main Street
Intentional placemaking has had many unexpected benefits for this Alabama town.
Wetumpka, AL © Jenny Sue Stubbs
We heard from organizations across the nation about the incredible impact their markets have had on community engagement, entrepreneur and small business support, and keeping their district vibrant.
Mount Airy Downtown, Inc., celebrated the return of their Market Street Arts and Entertainment District (MSA & ED) last weekend, as part of their pandemic recovery efforts.
Mount Airy, NC © Robbie Curlee
A vacant storefront is the perfect stage to creatively promote the available space or to showcase other businesses and events in the area.
Ripon, WI © RetailWorks, Inc
Interested in creating a StoryWalk in your downtown commercial district? Read on to learn more about installing a successful story walking trail.
In remembrance and in honor of Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., over 900 streets in the United States were named after him. Many are located predominantly in African American communities.
Milwaukee, WI © Historic King Drive BID
Dubbed the Blues Alley, the Ripley Main Street program plans to install murals of local pioneering Black blues artists, cutout guitars painted by local art students, and blues lyrics painted on the walls.
Ripley, MS © Ripley Main Street
Wayfinding guides people to places they seek but it also brings awareness to places they may have otherwise missed.
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Main Street America partnered with OneMain Financial to create Made on Main Street.
Creating a historic or art walking tour is much more than simply a collection of pictures and descriptions.
Over 300 attendees enjoyed a family-friendly block party that celebrated the community and showcased Prosser's upcoming streetscape improvement project.
Cambridge was the first Main Street community in Maryland to install public chargers.
The Downtown Newton Development Association (North Carolina) partnered with the City of Newton on a temporary tactical urbanism project to demonstrate how their permanent streetscape improvements will benefit downtown.
Over 500 people braved the misty rain this past weekend to come and celebrate Painesville and its Made on Main Street community transformation project.
Wilson Artsy Alleys is an initiative of the Wilson Downtown Development Corporation which takes the arts to new locations in forgotten places.
In October 2017, Main Street Ottumwa collaborated with local partners, Main Street Iowa, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Better Block Foundation to stop planning, talking, and wishing, and start doing.
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
The Metuchen Downtown Alliance created a cool, family-friendly public gathering space in “the worst looking spot in town” with the help of just $2,500 in Edward Jones Placemaking on Main Challenge matching grant funds,
A collaborative effort launched between Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) and vertical farming company, Plenty, looked to blank downtown walls as a canvas for growing food, creating conversation, and activating overlooked spaces.
From walkability and transportation connectivity, to access to nature and availability of fresh food, place is inextricably linked to achieving positive health outcomes in rural America.
Beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower fountain through Main Street Paris's new Love Lock Fence.
Kasey Drummond, Glenrock Main Street Director, explains how they brought the acclaimed graffiti artist ARCY to their Main Street and explores the work he produced in three additional Wyoming communities on his summer tour.
Karen Dye, Newkirk Main Street's program manager, was inspired to “make downtown more fun and festive” with painted water meter covers after learning about the practice at a recent Main Street Now conference.
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
In contrast, the Main Street Program in Laramie, Wyoming, is thriving, having successfully cultivated millions of dollars to help fill these vacant, blighted spaces with permanent structures.
In this article we’ll explore the process of planning, funding, installing, operating, and enjoying music on your Main Street.
In 2016, the North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center partnered with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Interior Architecture (UNCG) to provide design assistance to Main Street communities.
Placemaking is a strategy that Six Corners Association has enthusiastically applied to our community development efforts because of its seamless integration with the Main Street Approach.
How one Wyoming Main Street implemented a free bike share program.
In 2015, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to engage Wisconsin Main Street organizations and farmers markets in the Metrics and Indicators for Impact – Farmers Markets (MIFI-FM) toolkit.
The local Main Street organization, Downtown Milford Inc., is trying to address these shifting demographics by creating a more inclusive sense of community.
This is the story of how a National Endowment for the Arts gathering in DC inspired the leaders of a small town in Appalachia to connect with those in Milwaukee to transform a neglected park.
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
This article is the second in a series on corridors and the important role they play in Main Street revitalization. The previous article focused on the historic origins of corridors, corridor types, and functions that they serve in our communities.
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
While the Main Street program may not take the lead in corridor enhancements, it can be a vital partner and advocate for improvements in overall community appearance.
Street pole banners preserve the historic character of main streets while fostering community awareness and engagement.
With strong community support, the Library Foundation was able to raise over $1.2 million dollars in private donations.
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
A key goal of the Atlanta Streetcar is to attract investment to and revitalize the neighborhoods along the streetcar alignment.
