Improved street design can stimulate urban economy

The Downtown Alliance presented final guidelines for its Downtown Streetscapes: A Framework for the Beautification of Downtown Grand Rapids to the 80 attendees of its annual meeting on September 20. Downtown stakeholders, including property owners, retail store owners, and restaurant owners, have had the opportunity to give their input on the streetscape design for the past several months.

The design guidelines, developed by Progressive AE, a local architectural design firm, strive to direct development in a way that creates pedestrian friendly streetscapes; an urban garden that is bold, attractive and dramatic; a beautiful downtown; and a welcoming sense of place.

“We want to build on the existing strengths of downtown,” ,” said Sharon Evoy, executive director of the Downtown Alliance, “because a lot of what they’ve done with the sidewalks has been well planned out. This design is built to have flexibility while, at the same time, we want it to have a downtown signature look.

“Greening studies show that when an area is landscaped, it enhances the perception of value in the eyes of shoppers who are willing to pay 14% more for their goods,” she added.

Evoy sites Chicago as one example of the impact of greening on a downtown streetscape. Using greening as an economic development tool, designers were able to draw so many visitors downtown that tourism is now Chicago’s number one industry. Visitors spent an average of $80 apiece while they were there. Evoy is hopeful that the Grand Rapids streetscape design will have a similar impact on downtown businesses.

“These are recommendations, not ordinances,” Evoy said of the guidelines. “They are meant to make it easier for business owners who want to do beautification and greening.”

Evoy, who is not a gardener, attended the Chicago Greening Symposium three years ago. “I thought it was going to be like watching paint dry,” she said. “But I learned that landscaping has an amazing impact on an area, and I got excited about it."

“How lucky are we that we have this Chicago role model in the same climate, that we can look at what they’ve done, and then we can do it on the scale that fits our city. We’re not limiting ourselves, but want it to be very much Grand Rapids.”

Copies of the streetscape guidelines are available from the Downtown Alliance office, and can be e-mailed to interested business owners.