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The Main Street Approach
The Main Street Approach™ offers community-based revitalization initiatives with a practical, adaptable framework for commercial transformation that is easily tailored to local conditions. The Main Street Approach helps communities get started with revitalization and grows with them over time.
The Fundamentals
According to Main Street America, The Main Street Approach is centered around Transformation Strategies. A Transformation Strategy articulates a focused, deliberate path to revitalizing or strengthening a downtown or commercial district’s economy. Each Transformation Strategy is implemented through activities in the four broad areas of work represented by the Four Points: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.
Transformation Strategies
Coined by Main Street America, Transformation Strategies – generated through meaningful community engagement and informed by an analysis of the district’s market position — help to guide a revitalization program’s work. An effective Transformation Strategy serves a particular customer segment, responds to an underserved market demand, or creates a differentiated destination.
Some ​“ready-to-use” strategies — called Catalyst Strategies — fall into two broad categories: those that are focused on a specific customer segment and those that are focused on an industry, product, or
service segment.
Four Main Points
Transformation Strategies are implemented through comprehensive work in four broad areas, known as the Four Points.
ECONOMIC VITALITY focuses on capital, incentives, and other economic and financial tools to assist new and existing businesses, catalyze property development, and create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and innovators that drive local economies. Learn more >
DESIGN supports a community’s transformation by enhancing the physical and visual assets that set the commercial district apart. Learn more >
PROMOTION positions the downtown or commercial district as the center of the community and hub of economic activity, while creating a positive image that showcases a community’s unique characteristics. Learn more >
ORGANIZATION involves creating a strong foundation for a sustainable revitalization effort, including cultivating partnerships, community involvement, and resources for the district. Learn more >
