Downtown Success Indicators

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.

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Market Analysis Assistance and Education

Educational objectives include: learning how data can be used in a market analysis to guide downtown decision making, analyzing community data from ESRI Business Analyst and other sources, learning how to find additional data sources for downtown benchmarking and evaluation, and learning how to effectively collect data that is not otherwise available (surveys, focus groups, and other primary research).

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Can Small Towns be Cool?

It is the small community that brings its residents, often defined by school district boundaries, together through commerce, education, and a sense of personal identity. It is this dichotomy that prompted further examination of the topic and the research question: “Can Small Towns Be Cool?”

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Strategic Planning

Local residents and community leaders are concerned with identifying options for diversifying their economy and establishing a long-term vision for their community. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) provides technical assistance in strategic planning for economic development.

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