|
The survey showed that the “downtown is dead” response was
second on a list of responses on the challenges facing rural
communities just behind a “shortage of good housing.”
A recent webinar by the University of Illinois Extension offered
strategies that communities can utilize to develop vibrant
downtown areas.
Pam Schallhorn, University of Illinois Extension specialist in
Community and Economic Development, said downtown events will
lure people to town.
“It doesn't have to be done more than once and it doesn’t have
to be that perfect, you need to be bringing something downtown,
and the more you can bring downtown, the better,” said
Schallhorn.
Due to a changing landscape, Schallhorn said relying on retail
to support a downtown is not realistic, and a town like LaSalle,
which is known for a thriving retail sector, is an outlier.
“Retail is rare, so I am not saying to focus on retail,” said
Schallhorn. “What we want to focus on is art, music and food.
What we want to focus on is entertainment. It should be an
entertainment district.”
Some Illinois communities have tried to make their downtown
areas more aesthetic by enacting sign ordinances, like in
Galena.
Schallhorn said preserving a downtown area may be an option for
many communities.
“I see a lot of communities that are now saying we want to be
like a historic district downtown,” she said. “We want to save
these buildings, plus there are some great historic tax
credits.”
Schallhorn said several Illinois communities have revitalized
their downtowns, pointing to Greenville, Ottawa and Centralia.
|
|
