The Review Magazine: July/August 2023

(right) Outdoor dining and live music in Northville's social district.

(below) Food truck in downtown. Cheboyga

(above) Food co-op in Marquette.

Art, outdoor restaurant seating, an inviting streetscape, and well-designed public spaces help to complete downtown’s immersive experience. These

amenities invite creativity, expression, congregation, and socialization. A vibrant downtown has a ripple effect that expands into neighborhoods, corridors, and the region. Vibrancy attracts visitors, residents, entrepreneurs, dreamers, investors, and developers. Downtown offers a full experience—the sights, the sounds, the vibe, the people. Take it all in. Having it All—Creating and Maintaining a Well-Rounded, Strong Downtown

(below) Preserving historic downtown Vassar.

(above) Cheboygan car show.

Strong Michigan downtowns are expected to have it all. A dynamic and varied business mix, effective communications with stakeholders, placemaking initiatives, modern infrastructure, pretty flowers, and a pipeline of entrepreneurs begging to rent space are just a few characteristics of a well-rounded downtown. Can downtown really have it all? Yes, with a strong downtown management organization, a committed team of volunteers and staff, and a supportive municipality and community, a downtown truly can have it all! But it isn’t easy. It takes careful planning and a commitment to constantly improve. The Job Is Never Done Like your relationships, home, profession, or anyone or thing you value, the work to continually improve downtown is never done. Downtowns, and their management organizations and directors, are ever changing, ever adapting, and ever learning. Think of the changes we have witnessed over the last three years! Social Districts began as a much-needed revenue source for restaurants and bars. Now the areas, frequently managed by downtown management organizations, have morphed into an economic driver truly living up to the name, Social District.

(right) Grayling mural and bike map.

(left) Biking in Spring Lake.