This literature review represents the first phase of a long term project focused on identifying economically resilient small city downtowns and ultimately creating a searchable database of successful communities. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of indicators defining downtown success. This review will summarize characteristics of successful downtowns as described in contemporary literature pertaining to urban planning, downtown revitalization and business development. This analysis will support communities in using data for business development and developing fruitful partnerships with the private sector.