Weird is Good

What is W e I r D ???

Healthy, vibrant downtowns need to be places where diverse groups and opinions converge.  Where new ideas are born and shaped.  Where social tolerance is embraced and cultural diversity is celebrated.    Where people of all incomes, ages, races, ethnicities and sexual orientations can rub shoulders.  Where we can celebrate "weird."

Not "science fiction" weird.  But "unique, different and authentic" weird.  Downtowns need to be places that offer and promote authentic experiences -- in contrast to the bland similarities the suburbs offer. 



The People's Republic:
Vermont and the Sanders
Revolution by Greg Guma

Downtowns are where our community's cultural identity is preserved and celebrated -- those weird, unique attributes that make a community stand out.  

In Burlington, our history of progressive politics and social tolerance are part of our cultural identity.  Our historic buildings, art galleries, farmer's market, Church Street characters, and locally-owned stores contribute to our cultural identity, as well as our vibrant music and art scene and our popular community-based festivals. The more unique, original, quirky and weird, the better! 

What Does Weird Look Like?   Here are some of the ways weird infiltrates our cultural identity.

Locally-Owned

In 2000, a grassroots movement was started in Austin called "Keep Austin Weird.” born out of concerns that the city's rapid development would result in a loss of the community's cultural identity. 

Portland, Oregon embraced the weird bandwagon in 2003 with its own campaign, Keep Portland Weird.
Both campaigns have become a clarion call for promoting locally-owned businesses.

Burlington's downtown has the unique advantage -- a balance of national retail chains (located primarily in Burlington Town Center) and locally-owned stores and restaurants (located on Church Street and in the downtown).  Our local retailers have learned to leverage the marketing muscle of national chains by locating near them.  They understand that consumers are drawn to the national brands, and wind up discovering their locally-owned stores.  The key to being a successful local retailer is offering products and services that complement what the nationals are offering.  Our local retailers tell us everyone can benefit in this setting.

Nationals do help to draw people to our downtown, but locally-owned stores are a reflection of our community; it's crucial that we nurture them. Compared to national chains, locally-owned businesses recycle a larger share of their revenues back into the local economy.  They support a variety of other local business by creating opportunities for accountants, advertisers, purchased goods from local companies.  A dollar spent at a locally owned business sends a ripple of economic benefits throughout the community.  To learn more about the importance of locally-owned businesses, see 10 Reasons Why Vermont’s Homegrown Economy Matters: And 50 Proven Ways to Revive It, a 2003 collaboration from Stacey Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and The Preservation Trust of Vermont.  

Rebellious Non-Conformity  



Occupy Wall Street protesters march north
on Church Street Marketplace, October 2011.

Healthy downtowns need growth -- growth in business, growth in residents, growth in visitors.  Growing the tax base allows a city to provide the services that sustain a good quality of life for citizens.  But downtowns must balance that growth with a wariness for gentrification, income inequality and social polarlization.  In her book Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places, Sharon Zukin cautions against an over-pursuit of "authenticity." The very people who bring authenticity to a city -- immigrants, working class, and artists, for example -- can be easily driven out if real estate prices escalate.
Downtowns must be inviting for everyone, and growth and development must be tempered with social tolerance and multi-culturalism.  Church Street is a commercial center, AND a community center.  As Burlington's town square, it's the place for protests, vigils, rallies, non-profit tabling and non-profit solicitation.  Following the murder of Travon Martin, for example, Church Street became the natural meeting place for a community vigil. 

Burlington has the highest concentration of retail and dining businesses in the region.  It also has the highest concentration of social services in the state.  Where else but Burlington would you find a high end retail store within a few feet of a shelter for homeless youth? Or, a needle exchange program in a residential neighborhood?  Love it or hate it, you'll experience this kind of diversity in our downtown. To be successful, there needs to be a healthy balance of both.  If the balance tips one way or the other, we risk creating an atmosphere that is either sterile or unsafe. 

Events Designed for Locals

Rule number one for creating a downtown event:  build it for locals and others will come.  Tourists make up a smaller percentage of those who visit our downtown.  At any time during the year, locals are always in the majority.  So, it makes sense to create events and activities for residents.  Tourists are drawn to our events, precisely because they're designed for a local audience.  We have some pretty weird events that occur throughout the year.



Santa 5K Run to benefit Make-A-Wish Vermont Chapter,
Church Street Marketplace



Vermont Special Olympics Penguin Plunge, Burlington's Waterfront

Outright Vermont's Annual Fire Truck Pull, Church Street Marketplace

St. Patrick's Day Concrete Mixer Parade,
to benefit the S.D. Ireland Cancer Research Fund. 
Church Street Marketplace



Magic Hat Mardi Gras Parade
& Festival, Burlington, Vermont

Yoga on Church Street, to benefit Prevent Child Abuse Vermont

Dragonboat Festival, Burlington's Waterfront

Festival of Fools, produced by Burlington City Arts
 



Taiko Drummers at KeyBank Vermont City Marathon

What are your thoughts about weird?  Is weird good?  What's weird about your downtown?

Panhandling: Changing Your Downtown’s Culture of Giving

It's all about balance 

 Managing panhandling and panhandlers means balancing an individual's free speech rights with a municipality's right to give its citizens unobstructed passage to and from their destinations.  While U.S. courts have determined that panhandling is a form of free speech and constitutionally protected, local governments are allowed to place time, place and manner restrictions on panhandling. 

There's a difference between panhandling and aggressive panhandling, for which there are no protections. U.S. cities have ordinances in place to protect its citizens from aggressive panhandling -- which includes intimidating behavior (profane, abusive, violent or threatening language or gestures), blocking a person’s free passage, touching or following them, and panhandling while intoxicated.

Knowing who is panhandling and why

Poverty, lack of affordable housing, substance abuse and the cyclical nature of mental illness all contribute to the presence of panhandling.  Our downtown's very engaged Street Outreach Team and our police department, coupled with our city’s small population, means we have the benefit of knowing the names and current circumstances of our panhandlers—which can be off-putting to new panhandlers who come into our downtown. It’s difficult to remain anonymous!

The Street Outreach Team gives all new panhandlers a two-sided information card with an Aggressive Begging, Panhandling and Solicitation Ordinance (21-8), plus information on shelter, food and services.  Our smallness also gives us a leg up in our efforts to connect panhandlers with services.  Surprisingly, the majority of panhandlers in our downtown are not homeless.  

A day in the life

 

On any day, there can be as few as five and as many as 15 panhandlers working in our Downtown Business District, primarily on or around the Church Street Marketplace. Some make as little as $5, while others can make $80 to $100 on a good day. Like all cities, we have specific types of panhandlers:  Our “lifestyle” panhandlers do it for money and for the social interaction with friends and strangers.  Our “basic need” panhandlers might need money for food, a motel room that night, or it’s the middle of the month and they’re out of money. Our “service resistant” panhandlers are generally not interested in working and have settled on panhandling as a way to make money.  And, some panhandle because they need money for alcohol, substances and nicotine.

A few of our more seasoned panhandlers tell us successful panhandling requires skill, patience, persistence and knowing the best locations, the best time of day to work, and how to maximize donations. Unlike a regular job, earnings won’t be consistent, and there will be good days and bad days. This is a day to day existence; unfortunately very few of our panhandlers will seek support from our Street Outreach team, and focus on short term goals for treatment, housing and regular pay checks.  

Our regular panhandlers don’t like aggressive panhandlers, as they hinder their business and bring scrutiny on them. Our panhandlers are generally well behaved and within their rights when they quietly panhandle for money. The problem arises when their daily frustrations are played out in public, when they’re victimized by others, or when they are joined by others who have less respect for the community.  Aggressive panhandlers can very quickly create fear and disorder, especially when they're openly victimizing each other or intimidating or threatening people around them.  Their behaviors can drive people away from an area, which in turn makes it less safe, and violence and vandalism escalate.  There should be zero tolerance for aggressive panhandling -- residents, employees, students and visitors all deserve better. Municipalities are wise to employ ordinances that prohibit it.
 

Changing the Culture of Giving

Rather than focus energies entirely on regulating panhandling, many U.S. downtowns are changing the culture of giving by encouraging residents, employees, customers, students, and visitors to give directly to non-profit agencies.  The rationale: when you give to a panhandler, you don’t know where the money is going.  When you give to a reputable non-profit serving those most in need, you can be assured your donation is a meaningful act of charity.  Check out Seattle's successful "Have a Heart, Give Smart" campaign, launched in 2007 by the Downtown Seattle Association/Metropolitan Improvement District and now being used in cities like Rideau, Edmonton, Boise and Ann Arbor.  The campaign's message is smart and direct, and the creative sharp.  Contact the Downtown Seattle Association about gaining permission to use campaign collateral (graphics, copy, slogan).
U.S. cities, including Burlington, are also forging partnerships with local homeless shelters and social service agencies to collect funds on the street.  Repurposed parking meters and collection boxes have been popping up in downtowns, where people can deposit change to support programs that assist the homeless and others in need.



The “Denver’s Road Home” project with Mile High United Way, generates in excess of $100,000 annually through sponsorships and donations to its 86 downtown parking meters. Downtown Nashville’s Adopt-A-Meter program features 26 blue donation meters in high-foot-traffic areas and offers one-year sponsorships for $1,000 per meter.

Santa Monica's "Dolphin Change Program"

Santa Monica's “Dolphin Change Program,” takes a different approach, using sculpted bronze and aluminum cast dolphins on the Third Street Promenade and elsewhere as collection boxes for donations to end street homelessness.  Inspired by Santa Monica, we built two collection boxes fashioned after Champ, the mythical monster of Lake Champlain.  Our "Champ," and sister "Champette" collection boxes have already raised thousands for the Committee On Temporary Shelter.

Church Street's "Champ"



Church Street's "Champette"















How communities address panhandling can be a reflection of its culture, values and priorities, the capacity of social service agencies, level of community tolerance, and the degree of trust and collaboration that exists between a downtown's public, private and non-profit sectors. When a community's social bonds and social networks are strong, people are less apt to panhandle. 

The Center for Problem Oriented Policing's Panhandling Guide is an excellent resource for analyzing your community's panhandling problem and how to address it comprehensively.  And, although it was published in 1993, "A Guide to Regulating Panhandling," a handbook produced the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation is still a very thoughtful and useful guide when developing policy and strategies to address panhandling.

 

Mounting a Successful BID Renewal

How do you prepare your organization to mount a successful renewal campaign for your business improvement district?  How can you apply the experiences and successes of other BIDs? 

As part of its on-going Webinar series for downtown practitioners, the International Downtown Association brought together three seasoned practitioners in November 2013, to share their personal experiences with BID renewals:  Andy Taft, President, Downtown Forth Worth, Inc.; Kristi Stokes, President & CEO, Greater Downtown Council of Duluth, MN; and Jim Cloar, consultant for downtown planning, development and management and past president of Downtown Dallas, Inc., Tampa Downtown Partnership, and The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis.

BID renewals discussed in the Webinar included:

• Duluth, MN         (pop. 86,211, metro 279,771)
• Shreveport, LA   (pop. 201,867, metro 439,000)
• St. Louis, MO     (pop. 318,172, metro 2,900,605)
• Fort Worth, TX   (pop. 777,992, metro 2,136,022)

Here is a summary of the lessons learned from our experts, plus a few of my own experiences and examples thrown in for good measure.

Never take your renewal for granted.  A renewal is a good reminder of the importance of year-round promotion of your BID's programs and accomplishments.  Find new and different ways to remind your fee payers and stakeholders of what you do, and how well you do it.  Newsletters, social media, handwritten notes, meetings, phone calls, transit advertising.  The time and money spent keeping what you do "top of mind" with your fee payers will deliver rewards at renewal time. 

 

Start Early.  Starting two years in advance is not too early, according to our experts.   

Establish an Advisory Committee or a Board subcommittee that includes property owners and key influentials.  The committee or board needs to sell it, not the downtown organization staff.  Let others do the talking for you.  Even if your board or advisory committee is convinced the renewal will pass, it is essential to go through the process of renewal.  Remind them of the importance of peer to peer selling!  Set up a time line for your advisory committee that explains in detail goals, strategies and expected outcomes.  Make one-on-one-calls and meetings, get people talking about the renewal.  

Enlist largest property owners first.  Make sure your “heavy hitters” are the first to be on board with your renewal. They can also be tapped for membership in advisory committee.

Identify the Opposition:  Identify property owners and potentially vocal stakeholders who are opposed to the BID’s renewal.  If you haven’t already done so, develop relationships with them.  Meet with them and listen respectfully.  Let them know you understand their concerns.  Spell out measurable, positive results (never assume the results you have been presenting are obvious to everyone). It’s important to talk with people and share the successes of your BID.  Also, give examples of your organization's efficiency and the cost savings your fee payers realize.  Enlist pro-renewal advocates who are peers of those who are opposed.  Determine if those who are opposed have been given false or inaccurate information about the BID; make efforts to present new information.   It’s critical that detractors hear from their peers about the benefits of the BID.    If there were vocal critics who now support the BID, ask them to join you in meetings and to make calls.  If you haven’t won over opponents, continue to try.  Stay respectful.  Don’t give up.  If anything, you’ll demonstrate your sincerity, passion and commitment to the BID’s future success. 

State your case.  Present your BID’s proposed business plan, and highlight your organization’s accomplishments.   Link your BID to strategic plans for your downtown or region. Assemble and report important data and trends. How much new public and private investment has occurred?  How has your residential population increased?  Hotel room inventory?  How many historic buildings have been restored, redeveloped?  How many restaurants, shops and services have opened?  Have retail and food and beverage sales increased and how much tax revenue has that generated?  Have your crime rates and calls for police services improved over time?  Compare and contrast total assessed property values within your BID.  Are they outpacing growth rates in other parts of the region? 

For its 2013 BID renewal, Newcastle NE1 Business Improvement District Company in the U.K., produced an exemplary website and business plan.

Seek endorsements from the Mayor, Council, Condominium Associations.  Gain the support of condo associations versus going to individual condo residents.  This is where your organization’s on-going efforts to communicate your day-to-day and long-term accomplishments via your website, newsletters and business and community meetings will start to pay off. 

Seek media endorsements Meet with the editorial boards of key print and electronic media.   Search out examples of supportive editorials from other BID renewals.  Develop a case statement in summary to share in your meetings with editorial boards.

• Keeping it clean / Renew Downtown's business improvement district.  Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
• Renew and Expand the Downtown Metropolitan Improvement District. Metropolitan Improvement District, Seattle, WA.
• Making downtown shine more  Downtown Fargo BID
• Downtown Cleveland Alliance hopes to renew special improvement district, Cleveland, OH

Be wary of making unrealistic promises, compromises.  Be wary of setting caps per property, cutting rates and in general making compromises that could potentially hobble the BID five to then years out.  It's easier to decrease assessments when you're going through a renewal, for example, but if you don’t have to do it, our experts recommended resisting that. 

Make clear distinctions between management and leadership.  Keep the BID focused on management.  When your BID takes a position on a particular issue, you risk alienating parts of your constituency and potentially tanking your BID renewal.

Appeal to your fee payers' common sense.  Seek to extend the number of years between renewals.  Having more time between renewals allows an organization to think more long term and more strategically.  Overall, you want your fee payers saying they can't afford NOT to renew. 

 

IDA members can access the complete 60-minute Webinar from the IDA website.