Abstract:
A common sight in the early 1900s, downtowns were seen
as a thriving and lively location captured by Norman
Rockwell’s iconic Americana paintings. However, that
romanticized version of the American downtown is slowly
being replaced with vacant and deteriorating main streets
across the country. Over the past 50 years, downtowns
across America have lost their connection to their
communities and become unwanted and impassive locale
to community members.
In the age of globalization, it is important that communities
keep their own identity. Every community has a story that
sets itself apart and there is no better place for that story to
be told than through its downtown district. A downtown’s
greatest asset is providing an alternative to the generic
business and suburban environments that have grown in a
community. A successful downtown represents a distinct
environment in the community that community members
identify with and form an attachment to through a sense of
place.