How Turin is converting a dead industrial area into an innovation hub

Alabama's Historic Prattville Redevelopment Authority has emulated the successful downtown revitalization project in Columbus, Georgia, in an effort to address vacant industrial sites and a blighted downtown. Through a collaboration with local entrepreneurs, a private real estate company, the Chamber of Commerce, and other departments and members of the local government, the HPRA is transforming the small city. Several local business prepare to open, the old cotton gin mill will open new apartments, and recent community events demonstrate an increasing public interest in a revitalized downtown Prattville.

Michigan's roads have been in disrepair for years. Now with increased private sector funding and partnerships between companies and the government, the state could start to see improvements in its infrastructure.

Tampa's downtown used to be an industrial wasteland. After six mayors, 40 years, and half a billion dollars of investment later, the city's downtown is thriving. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as Strategic Property Partners is investing $3 billion in development in the next ten years for hotels, offices, and apartments. The University of South Florida is also working with developers as an anchor institution to support more growth.

Artists need cheap living costs, but their presence improves a community and the property values. The State of Colorado and private developers are creating affordable housing and work spaces for artists in neighborhoods they want to thrive.

Public-private collaborations can promote entrepreneurship and foster economic revitalization. In the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, partnerships between the city of Columbus, the Franklinton Development Association (FDA), and local businesses have led to a flourishing of artist studios, maker spaces, and other community attractions. The initiatives were funded in part by grants from ArtPlace America as well as the city of Columbus.

The Regent Park neighborhood in Toronto is now home to a mixed income housing development project in which residents of different income groups are living alongside one another. It’s also bringing a private developer and a public housing agency to work together on the project, with the hopes of fostering a sense of community and creating a safer neighborhood.

The Street Moves initiative in Sweden is pushing local communities to become the designers of their own streets’ layouts and look at urban planning through the lens of the “one-minute city.” Through a public-private partnership, residents in four sites in Stockholm can help determine how much street space is used for parking, outdoor dining, and children’s play spaces. The goal is to increase participation in the community, address climate resilience, and create a more livable city.

A series of government programs designed to rebuild a neighborhood badly damaged by the 1968 Chicago uprising not only failed to achieve their goal, but actually made it worse. Hundreds of businesses in the Madison Street area of Chicago's West side were destroyed in days of rioting. Programs that emphasized clearing "blight" over building anew left vacant lots where new businesses might have emerged. Overall, "efforts turned out to be too scattered, too small and too susceptible to shifting politics to make a lasting impact," while opportunistic businesses cashed in without improving conditions.

The Downtown Greenway in Greensboro was already underway when the coronavirus hit and it has turned out to be quite the respite and economic boon. The Greenway draws visitors in with trails, greenways, public art, local businesses, and "the first grocery store to open in 30 years in downtown.” $8.5 million was invested in the project, but it has already brought in $215 million in revenue. The Downtown Greenway was created in partnership with the city and nonprofit Action Greensboro, and while it's currently being used with social distancing, it'll still be there when the quarantine is over.

Collaborations can breathe new life into community churches. In College Park, Georgia, the College Park First United Methodist Church entered into a partnership with PushPush, a theater nonprofit formerly located in the metro Atlanta area. The partnership came about with the help of Good Spaces, a socially-minded real estate development organization.