Assessing the economic revitalization impact of urban design improvements: the Texas Main Street Program

The relationship between urban design and economic activity is seldom studied through\nempirical studies with a large number of cases due, in part, to the implicit and intangible\nnature of design. This study was intended to understand, analyze, and evaluate the\ncomplex relationship between the design and the economic revitalization of downtown\ndistricts with reference to the 78 active Texas Main Street Program districts. First, the\ndesign, promotion, organization, and economic restructuring components of the Main\nStreet Program's comprehensive four-point approach were investigated. Next, the\neconomic changes that occurred within those districts were analyzed from 1997-2001.\nFinally, employment, the number of jobs, the number of business establishments, the\nnumber of sales tax permits, the retail sales volume, and the commercial property values\nwere compared for the same time period among three categories of cities: those active in\nthe Main Street Program, those formerly active but now inactive, and those who have\nnot participated.\nFindings revealed that several positive changes occurred in design, promotion,\norganization, and economic restructuring components of the four-point approach within the active Texas Main Street districts. It appears that these changes produced several\npositive outcomes for the physical, social, and economical environment of the active\nMain Street districts. Moreover, the findings suggests that these changes in the Main\nStreet districts resulted in an increased economic activity, not only within the Main\nStreet district by generating jobs, or producing private and/or public investment, but also\nacross the Main Street city by creating community wide economic activity in most of the\nvariables that were under investigation. The results indicate that the Texas Main Street\nProgram, part of which is urban design oriented, is having a positive effect on economic\nactivity within the active Main Street districts.