MDA | Big Views for Best Chances

Rethinking the rules. Reworking the formula. Knocking down walls. Finding new paths.

Big Views for Best Chances

On February 15-16, 2011, I had the privilege of serving as a design specialist for the Design Alabama Mayor’s Summit. Five mayors from around the state of Alabama were invited by Auburn University and Design Alabama to share city problems and the group was to explore remedies for the problems. I was so impressed with the process and how the group time inspired the mayors to realize they can make great accomplishments by looking at an overall plan instead of just at the problems. Below are some suggestions for communities that I brought away from the discussions and wanted to share with you.

One of the most important ways to make a place feel comfortable is to ensure it has well maintained grounds, according to Cheryl Morgan, director of the Auburn University Center for Architecture and Urban Studies. To accomplish this many Alabama communities are hiring horticulturists as part of their city staff and are utilizing Master Gardener’s programs. When municipalities make a visible commitment to beautification, it almost always has a “multiplier effect”, and the efforts of local governments to make their communities more attractive typically inspire private business owners and local residents to make improvement to their properties, as well.
By working with commercial realtors, a community can better understand its options when it comes to recruiting retail establishments. For example, the Prattville, Alabama community was told their demographics and location were such that it was in a strong position to recruit a second Target, Belks, and Home Depot in the metropolitan area of Montgomery, Alabama. Bob Flowers, president of the International Council of Shopping Centers, says that other factors besides the obvious ones of income and population can be used in recruiting retail to an area. The example he used in the Jackson, Mississippi area was that Target did not see Jackson as a desirable market based on local incomes. Area developers made the case that the lower cost of living in this metro area allows for more expandable income. This argument finally won over Target officials and helped land a Target store in the area. The income that store brings in has exceeded Target’s projections, in fact, the store’s income exceeded the company’s projections in a way that no other store has according to Mr. Flowers.
One way to promote your community and to get free recognition is to enter contests held by different magazines like Garden & Gun, Better Homes and Gardens, Redbook, Where to Retire, etc. Winning their contests gives a community feature coverage in that national or regional publication.
Determine a short-term use for empty spaces until you can arrange for a more permanent and ideal use for such spaces to ensure your downtown has as few vacancies as possible. You should think of ways that available space in your town can be used in the short term to bring interest to the area or attract people to the town. One example shared was putting greenhouses on vacant lots to grow plants for use by the community’s horticulturist for downtown beautification. The greenhouse also allowed the city to offer larger trees as opposed to normal sized seedlings, on Arbor Day. This type of structure can easily be moved to another location when the lot sells, and yet it gives value to the city while in place.
Work to attract retirees to your community. Attracting retirees has been a focus for communities for years because the spending power of one retiree is equivalent to 3.5 factory workers. An addition, benefit that Alabama communities have seen is that areas to which retirees have located have, in turn, attracted young people, as well. Many enterprising individuals in the younger generation view retirees as potential business customers.
Historic preservation is important as it gives a community a unique appeal and helps to maintain higher property values in a downtown area. Grants from the World Monument Fund, for example, can help with renovations of significant monuments, buildings, and sites. More information can be found on the organization’s web site, www.wmf.org. The guidelines for getting a Mississippi building designated as a historic property are on the Mississippi Heritage Trust website at www.mississippiheritage.com.
Think creatively. One example that was shared related to the production of biodiesel. Equipment can easily be purchased to make biodiesel fuel which can be used in fleet vehicles. The mayor of Eufaula, Alabama, Jay Jaxon, started picking up left over cooking oil from local restaurants and schools. He was able to use this cooking oil waste in his newly purchased bio-fuel generator to create an additional fuel supply. When blended with the diesel fuel the town uses for its vehicle fleet, this homemade fuel has cut the cost of operating the city’s vehicles and has helped to extend the life of its landfill by recycling oil that would otherwise be deposited there.

In summary, the suggestions that came out of this event just reinforced to me the necessity for a “big view” community plan. By having a bigger picture view, mayors and community leaders will be able to see opportunities they might otherwise miss and will make better, more comprehensive decisions for the future. It is very important to talk about opportunities facing a community, instead of problems, to keep everyone focused on what can be done instead of why things cannot be done. Towns with the best chance for improvements are those that believe in themselves and having a plan helps you believe in yourselves!