State of Main: Fall 2016
Welcome to the inaugural edition of State of Main, the annual publication of Main Street America featuring thought leadership from across the network.
Join us May 6 – 8 in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference!
RegisterMarion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.
Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
From big cities to rural towns, communities around the world are temporarily opening streets to people by closing them to trucks and cars. These open streets programs and initiatives are meant to encourage walking, biking, and rolling, support age-friendly and intergenerational events, slow automobile traffic to increase personal safety, strengthen commercial districts, and/or create space for activities such as dining, retail, and group exercise.
Open streets programs are becoming even more prevalent and popular in recent months during the COVID-19 crisis as local leaders strategize on how to reopen economies safely. They provide the increased physical space needed to maintain social distancing while also ensuring that businesses are able to increase the amount of sales they need to stay afloat.
In our first of a series of briefs, we explore the benefits of open streets programs, outline a set of priorities local leaders should consider when implementing these initiatives, and provide examples of open streets projects in two Main Street communities.
Produced in collaboration between Main Street America and AARP Livable Communities, Commercial District Design: COVID-19 Response and Management is a series of design-centered briefs developed to equip community leaders with safe, equitable, age-friendly strategies to support economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.