New Study Emphasizes Strong Downtowns are Critical for a Successful City and Region

According to a new study from the International Downtown Association (IDA), investing in a downtown area can generate profound and lasting benefits to the success of its city and region. The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities: Second Edition drew data from 24 downtown areas across the country, including Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.

The IDA study, carried out in partnership with Stantec’s Urban Place Team, analyzed downtowns and center cities on more than 100 data points, focusing on five key principles: economy, inclusion, vibrancy, identity and resilience. The results highlighted many opportunities for downtowns – most notably, investment and quality of life as a factor in talent recruitment and retention.

Talented professionals are choosing to relocate to cities with a high quality of place. By providing the downtown amenities and improved local infrastructure workers desire, regions are more likely to attract and retain talent.

“A city can’t produce vibrant, memorable, walkable urbanism unless it pays scrupulous attention to the human experience,” Stantec’s Urban Places Team Principal Craig Lewis said. “This investment in quality of place has been the differentiator that enables downtowns to produce outsized benefits for their cities.”

Cities participating in the study were grouped into one of three tiers: Emerging Downtowns, Growing Downtowns and Established Downtowns. Both Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids were listed as Growing Downtowns based on rising employment, residential density, population growth, job density and assessed value per square mile.

For more information on this study, click HERE or visit the IDA website.