Community Economic Development
Division of Extension
Downtowns and business districts are the commercial hubs of our communities.
National Restaurant Association Downtown Restaurants by N. David Milder, DANTH, Inc. March 2022 — Restaurants and culinary experiences can be extremely valuable additions to a downtown area. They serve downtown workers and residents as well as attract visitors to the center of the community. They serve both an economic and social role in the community, […]
2022 State of the Hotel Industry Report March 2022 — This section explores market opportunities for new lodging accommodations in the downtown area. It will help you understand travel and visitation trends, existing competition, traveler market segments in the area, and projected room night demand. This section will help you project the occupancy and average room […]
March 2022 — Housing is an essential element in the revitalization of downtown districts. Demographic and lifestyle changes create new opportunities for specific residential segments and housing categories. This section provides an abbreviated method for assessing general market opportunities using a simple demand and supply analysis for a community. A more focused assessment of downtown […]
Art and Entertainment events can draw people downtown and increase economic activity in a variety of business categories. These events can attract people downtown who normally would not visit.
This section explains how demographic data can be used to better understand the current and potential residents of your downtown. Demographic and lifestyle data can give you a starting point for an in-depth analysis of specific business and real estate development opportunities. This data also can help the broader community understand how it is changing.
Defining a downtown or business district’s trade area is an important first step in any market analysis. This step is crucial because it defines the boundaries that will serve as the basis for further study. It also helps individual businesses identify opportunities to expand their own trade area.
In this webinar, we discuss how city leaders, businesses, property owners, and others can “shape their city” for the betterment of all and how Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can be used as a tool in that process. The focus of the webinar is on leadership and partnerships that help create an effective downtown organization.
June 2021 — This topic in Downtown Economics summarizes key points or “takeaways” from the recent webinar titled Shaping Downtown after COVID 19. The well-attended webinar highlighted examples of successful initiatives in four cities: Ithaca, New York, and Appleton, Eau Claire, and La Crosse Wisconsin. The following takeaways are presented without significant editing. You may […]
About September 2020 — This report provides a sample of how downtown buildings in small towns can be put to productive use in generating activity and community pride. It is intended to stimulate new ideas for reusing buildings for retail, food and beverage, services, and community spaces. Situation Small town downtowns (in municipalities with less […]
