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Main Street organizations target the complex issues that plague traditional business districts such as disinterest, economic instability, and demolition of historic buildings by implementing a four-point approach. These points, Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Restructuring, focus on four key elements of a downtown district, and its potential revitalization.
The Main Street approach encourages economic development, the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts, and the enhancement of community pride and spirit. The Main Street approach uses a grassroots methodology, specifically designed for small American towns. The four points emphasize that meaningful, lasting change is incremental and participatory, taking small steps toward change that broad-based community teams of volunteers can implement with pride. Large economic development projects do not always address the underlying causes of commercial decline, and are therefore only temporary generators of growth and change. Long-term, sustainable revitalization requires careful, devoted attention to all aspects of the downtown, as well as patience and local leadership.
Because of its team-building and local empowerment concepts, the Main Street approach is a process in which every member of a community can support through participation and donation. Main Street embodies the desires and hopes of the local citizenry to work together to bring to new life and growth to their downtown district, and to return it to is rightful place as the economic and social cornerstone of the community.
Main Street organizations rely on 8 fundamental guiding principles to implement and manage revitalization and economic development projects. These principles are:
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Comprehensive |
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Incremental |
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Self-help inducing |
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Partnership seeking |
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Built on local assets |
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Focused on Quality |
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Change affective |
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Action oriented
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