Home
>
Political
>
Image is Everything in Redevelopment Projects

Image is Everything in Redevelopment Projects

Revitalization Downtown projects are all the rage in fact the "Main Street America Project" is making significant headway as cities and towns share information. The communication of information of what worked and why as well as what did not work in a given demographic is now available to those who dare to take back their downtown areas. Urban flight and suburban sprawl has been tough on America. The people have chosen to live in the suburbs; unfortunately this hurts small businesses and jobs in the downtown areas. Americans are finding a better quality of life and higher standard of living while pursuing happiness in the less congested areas.

The key to a successful redevelopment of any downtown area is to improve the image. Cities need to clean up the street crime, panhandling, graffiti and filth. This of course is the first step, but such Spring Cleaning is only the first step. Fire hydrants, bus stops, trash receptacles and yellow, red and white zone curbing must be painted. Next comes the up lifting of small businesses, consistency of sign ordinances. The next and probably the single most important thing you can do; is start adding landscaping, curvy sidewalks, brick pedestrian crossings or simulated stone. Center medians with landscaping is also important and advised where space allows. This makes downtown look walk able and inviting. Without the image the business owners will not step up to the plate to invest or re-invest in their storefronts, patios or upgrades. Without the signs of increased sales of people coming back and additional foot traffic; it is nearly impossible to get the businesses to pony up. The businesses want to see a return on their investment and feel comfortable in their attaining future profits.

The redevelopment committees must be careful not to waste too much time or expect business owners to embrace the plan until the downtown image starts to change. When they see the street crime leave, graffiti free areas, cleaning up of trash debris, homeless panhandlers and inviting landscaping these small businesses will then join the team to help with the downtown revitalization. There will be little "buy in" until then and the image issues are problems and challenges, which involve police, planning departments, traffic flows and community volunteers. Once the effort becomes a reality instead of talk, committee members should not be concerned of small business owners not showing up to meetings.

Entrepreneurs are a completely different animal and should not be forced to sit for hours of idle chitchat. The plan will not work without their help, true enough, but without some progress they will just feel it is more of the same promises from the Blob of local bureaucracy, which impedes their businesses at every turn. Additionally, having remembered the hassles of getting building permits, treatment from code enforcement and attitudes of city officials with all their myriad of rules and ordinances, which often conflict with county, state and federal laws and regulations the last thing a small business wants to do is sit in a committee for redevelopment. And if they do show up do not be surprised to get a hostile team member on your committee.

The best bet is to treat all small businesses as if they are from Missouri and "show them!" Once they see your cleanup and new landscaping, they will be convinced that you are walking your talk and your committee is serious about redevelopment of downtown. Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs

on demand house cleaning Bannockburn ...

In The News:

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Image is Everything in Redevelopment Projects

Political