Revitalizing Downtowns
Over the last several decades, small cities (population of less than 100,000) across our country have experienced economic leakage from downtown to outlying edge locations. Once the center for community and economic activity, downtowns have suffered the loss of retail and other business activities to shopping centers and commercial strips. As a result of intense competition from category killers, large discount stores, and regional shopping centers, many small city downtowns face high vacancy rates and a poor mix of businesses. This section of the web site is designed to help local business leaders, entrepreneurs, developers, and economic development professionals understand the changing marketplace and identify business and real estate development opportunities that are both realistic and sensible for the downtowns in their communities.
CCED Resources, Programs and Assistance
Tools and techniques for understanding your market, identifying business opportunities, and developing market-driven strategies |
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Clearinghouse of unique retail and service businesses that are bringing people back downtown |
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Business planning resource to assist restaurant, lodging and retail entrepreneurs in your community |
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Retail business and community strategies to capture more visitor dollars |
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Business Prospecting |
Techniques to explore where your customers are coming from and how to find other similar places |
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Archive of articles addressing downtown business and economic development topics Previously titled Let's Talk Business |
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Downtown Vitality and Community Placemaking |
Resources developed by a UW-Extension team focusing on downtown revitalization and community placemaking |
Publications
- Downtown Economics - A monthly e-newsletter providing ideas for expanding retail and services in your community.
Selected Presentations
- Downtown and Business District Market Analysis, International Downtown Association Conference 2006, Portland, OR, Bill Ryan and Matt Kures
- Creating Market Synergy in Mixed-Use Downtowns, National Main Street Conference 2006, New Orleans, Bill Ryan and Matt Kures
Staff Papers
- The Importance of Government
Facilities in Downtowns:
An Analysis of Business Establishments
in Wisconsin’s County Seats. Prepared for Jefferson County by:
Ryan Zigelbauer, Bill Ryan and Steve Grabow, University of Wisconsin-Extension, September 2005. - A Trade Area Analysis of Wisconsin Counties: An Update for 2004. By Steven C. Deller, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW-Madison
- Retail Mix in Wisconsin's "Tiny Towns": How Distance From A Major Discount Store Impacts Local Retail Availability, by Bill Ryan, Tim Filbert, Jim Janke, and Aaron Brault. Staff Paper 98.5, December, 1998
- Retail Mix in Wisconsin's Small Downtown's: An Analysis of Cities and Villages with Populations of 2,500-15,000 - Staff Paper 98.3
- Tourism and Retail Development: Attracting Tourists to Local Businesses, by Bill Ryan, Jim Bloms, Jim Hovland, and David Scheler, December, 1999
- Service Business Mix in Wisconsin's Small Downtowns: An Analysis of Villages and Cities with Populations of 2,500-15,000, by Bill Ryan, Jerry Braatz, and Aaron Brault Staff Paper 99.1, March 2000
Selected Resources
- Independent Retail: Challenges of the Future: The Rebirth of Small Independent Retail in America http://www.retail-revival.com/home.htm
- Turning Around Downtown. Twelve Steps ..., Brookings Institution
- A Manual for Small Downtowns (Penn State University)
- Business Improvement Districts - UWEX Local Government Center
- Downtown Business Recruitment – A Manual by David Milder, DANTH, Inc. http://www.danth.com/
- Downtown Development Resources – Kent Robertson, St Cloud State University http://web.stcloudstate.edu/karobertson/index.htm
- Wisconsin Main Street Program - Wisconsin Bureau of Downtown Development
- Wisconsin Small Business Development Center
- Wisconsin Downtown Action Council
- National Main Street Center
- USDA Rural Information Center - Downtown Revitalization
