Downtown Marketing and Development

Insights and observations on the redevelopment and revitalization of post-industrial towns on the Route 422 Corridor in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

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Noblesse Oblige Versus Capitaliste Oblige

The term noblesse oblige was first used in 1835. It is a term belonging to an earlier time of medieval generosity, referring to a lord’s responsibility because of their hereditary inheritance of privilege. I became familiar with it when some guy named Mike used the term in all the classes I shared with him when I was seeking a graduate degree in public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Trust the Science

German Political Scientist Robert Michels (1876– 1936) theorized the "iron law of oligarchy" during his attempts to explain exclusive organizational behavior. It is as follows:

All forms of organization, regardless of how democratic they may be at the start, will eventually and inevitably develop oligarchic tendencies, thus making true democracy practically and theoretically impossible, especially in large groups and complex organizations.

The Value of Design in Maintaining Regional Marketplace Position

One of the things I look for when strategically repositioning a municipal entity is how a place looks. I have always been a fan of historic resources and how they impact the sense of place in a town. 

Infill construction is an important part of the design effort. When you are in the city, there is a lot of color in the apartment buildings, which is done to turn the nature of the space. I am not big on those kinds of buildings. I like the infill to look like it belongs. 

Repositioning in the Regional Marketplace

I recently saw a newspaper article about the Municipality of Norristown proposing repositioning the municipality in the regional marketplace. It was refreshing to hear someone take a serious approach to improving the town. 

Norristown has witnessed a hyper-segregation of low-income people in one area. The hyper-segregation of low-income people resulted from well-meaning people seeking to provide housing for that population. Unfortunately, clustering this type of development over the years has a cumulative effect.

Foot Traffic is the Key to Cities Survival

As cities continue to come back from the pandemic, Center City Philadelphia is trying to track the foot traffic in relation to pre-pandemic 2019. Their recent study shows that it is about 77 percent of what would have been considered normal before Covid-19.

Changes in Place as Space Use Evolves

I have worked in several different sections of Philadelphia, and recently both of my former streets have been in the news. Repeated shootings on South Street have left the street shell-shocked and led to retail store vacancies far greater than anything I remember in my 30 years in Philadelphia. Kensington Ave (The Avenue) has continued to experience problems like those I experienced during my time there in the early 1990s.

Cities Changing with the Times

Remote work has changed the office market in many cities. However, things are far from the ghost towns I saw in the spring of 2021 when I visited 70 cities to inventory and chronicle the effect of the lockdown on cities.

South Street's Redefined Market Position

I visited South Street in Philadelphia this week to have lunch with a long-time friend. It was the day after there was a news article that had people questioning the closure of the side streets during the Made in America concert weekend. It appeared to me that the police were trying to limit access to the commercial area because they were afraid of violence. 

Flooding in Downingtown

For the past few months, I have been working with a committee in my hometown of Downingtown concerning flooding. I sent out a mailing asking interested people to form a committee. About ten people are involved, and each has a different interest in the process.

One Committee worked on mitigation and was eventually merged with the Borough of Downingtown Flood Committee to have one mitigation committee. Community members understand and know the conditions on the ground during a flood and have a voice at the table, which is how it is supposed to work.

As American as Mom and Apple Pie

Recent efforts to change how we feel about sexual identity have caused a stir throughout the hinterland. In a recent article, I explained that I had no problems calling people by their preferred pronoun.

But now, the term motherhood is under attack. You are no longer a mother but a birthing parent. I fail to see how that would mix with the freedom of pronouns, as it does not appear that all people could give birth. But I do not know, as people are having a problem defining what a woman is.

The Vacant Lot as an Asset

In a downtown, there are series of spaces that could be considered public spaces. The sum of those public spaces makes up the whole… that would be the downtown. When you are dealing with public spaces, it is necessary to devise a strategy for each place. It is not good enough to just devise one strategy when you have problematic spaces within the downtown.

How to Assess Your Downtown

The first thing that is necessary to do is look at your downtown. I believe the best way to assess is to spend some time in the downtown sitting on a bench and observe. Watch the people come and go in the downtown and see how they react to the space. I try to just act as a normal person in the downtown and try to make it not very obvious that I am there to observe to get a true sense of what is going on.

Downtown Constraints

Any time you start working in a new town you must analyze what constitutes the downtown, and how existing elements can work for or against the revitalization. I always spend some time observing the downtown. You can learn a lot just by watching. 

Revitalization: Who Benefits?

Recently I went to a meeting of two towns, located side by side, that wanted to join in a common revitalization effort. I sat there a while and listened to the discussion.  Everyone was hot to revitalize and then someone stood up and said they did not want to revitalize because their rent would go up. The meeting went downhill as the woman went on to say that her taxes would increase and more people in the downtown means that the landlords would want more rent.

Changing It Up

I am going to expand my focus to deal with the issue of change and introducing change in an area. I have worked in a number of different communities throughout the commonwealth and have introduced change as part of the main street manager program.

The Main Street Program Has Lost Funding, What Now?

Many towns lose funding for the main street program after a number of years in the program. Budget cuts in state sources and local commercial development funding can make public commercial reinvestment dollars scarce. Some towns are left only with remnants of a main street program because of funding difficulties.

Organizing for Revitalization

Most towns in Pennsylvania have, at one time or another, organized for revitalization of the downtown. Sometimes revitalization happens and sometimes it does not. The problem with if it does not happen is that many years pass before it is tried again. 

Each attempt will have its origins in a group of people with diverse backgrounds and varying skill sets. The direction of the group is often swayed by the prejudices both good and bad to different parts of the revitalization puzzle.

Housing as a Tool in Downtown Development

Many of the towns that seek to revitalize are the victims of poor housing stock in the downtown. Poor housing stock in the downtown sometimes limits the options for revitalization. I have always looked at the downtown housing stock and occupancy as a barometer of how a town will do in their revitalization efforts.

Preserving Historic Resources in Revitalization

One of the ways that Main Street programs seek to revitalize is through the historic restoration of the downtown. Classified as the "Design” point of the Main Street four points, restoration of the downtown is a key element. The historic downtown could be the cornerstone for marketing efforts in the revitalization project.

Why Does It Take So Long?

Many frustrations occur with delays in projects and progress in the downtown. It seems like it always takes a long time to get anything done. The problem is a function of the process and how the process is processed.

Working as a private sector representative to a public sector process is sometimes confusing and drawn out. A Main Street Manager is sometimes confronted with issues that never seem to go away because it just takes too long to get things done. The problem is not one thing but can be a number of things, and how they relate to the process.

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Barry Cassidy posted Flood Control Along Beaver Creek in the Downtown Marketing and Development group
Fri, 1/24/2025 - 12:51pm
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Barry Cassidy created Flood Control Along Beaver Creek in the Downtown Marketing and Development group
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Barry Cassidy posted When Agencies Go Away, Some Programs Stay in the Downtown Marketing and Development group
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Barry Cassidy created When Agencies Go Away, Some Programs Stay in the Downtown Marketing and Development group
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