N. David Milder at DANTH, Inc.

Downtown Revitalization Specialist

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← The Downtown Curmudgeon’s Take on Downtown Central Social Districts
The “Unbonding” of a Growing Number of Creative Workers From Their Employers Can Impact Our Downtowns →

More on Central Social Districts, a Webinar on Downtown Retail, and an Article on Downtown Retail and Restaurants

Posted on August 27, 2021 by DANTH

More about CSDs from CNU’s Public Square

Rob Steuteville, the editor of CNU’s journal Public Square, recently interviewed David Milder about his article in The ADRR, Strong Central Social Districts: The Keys to Vibrant Downtowns. The interview was published on the Public Square website in two parts, on August 17th and 23rd. David thanks Rob for his great questions that helped him explain more fully CSDs and their importance.

Here’s Part 1: The power of Central Social Districts

Here’s Part 2: Supporting evolving Central Social Districts


Save the date for:
Bringing Back Downtown Retail After COVID-19

Across the nation in downtowns large and small, leaders and stakeholders are beginning to ask questions such as:

  • Where will retail be in downtowns like ours as we recover from this very stressful crisis?
  • What are the best opportunities for regaining, and possibly increasing, the strength of our downtown’s retailing?
  • What strategies, projects, and programs can help us achieve those potentials?

To address these critical questions, the American Downtown Revitalization Review- The ADRR – is partnering with the University of Wisconsin Madison – Extension to present an online panel discussion on Bringing Back Downtown Retail After Covid19 on:

Wednesday.

October 6, 2021,

at 12:30 pm CST.

The focus will be on downtowns and Main Street districts in communities under 75,000 in population. The webinar is part of Extension’s Learning from the Experts series. The panel will include three nationally known experts: Michael J. Berne of MJB Consulting, Kristen Fish-Peterson of Redevelopment Resources, and N. David Milder of DANTH, Inc. Bill Ryan of UW Madison-Extension will moderate the session. Stay tuned for details about signing up for the Zoom link needed to attend.


No, We Are Not Facing a Restaurant or Retail Industry Apocalypse

By N. David Milder

An Introductory Overview.

While the economic impacts of Covid19 are culling the weaker firms in the industries that frequently occupy downtown storefronts, and permanent closure rates are probably higher than those during the Great Recession, they are not anywhere near reaching the apocalyptic levels that would involve the effective decimation of these industries and impair their recoveries. Claims of industry apocalypses seem to be the rage in recent years starting with retail before the crisis. Since Covid19’s appearance the restaurant, personal services, and arts industries have also been seen in that light – often by industry leaders who are desperate to gain public attention and win strong government financial support for their member firms.

Many of the reported closures did not reflect economic failure, but legal necessity, and these operations reopen quickly when allowed by local regulations.  A more accurate view of the situation should be based on the fact, as established by a research team from the Federal Reserve, that business deaths are a normal occurrence with about 7.5 percent of firms and 8.5 percent of establishments exiting annually in recent years.[1] They also noted that small firms account for most of these closures. The team also found that “temporary business closure is common, affecting about 2 percent of establishments per quarter.” Covid19, as many crises do, has accelerated the processes of creative destruction that were already taking root in these industries prior to this crisis. Even if the permanent closure rates prove to be relatively higher than those produced by the Great Recession, there is no evidence that they will be so strong that they will prevent vibrant recoveries.


[1] Crane, Leland D., Ryan A. Decker, Aaron Flaaen, Adrian Hamins-Puertolas, and Christopher Kurz (2021). “Business Exit During the COVID-19 Pandemic: NonTraditional Measures in Historical Context,” Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2020-089r1. Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2020.089r1.

To read more click here

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This entry was posted in Central Social Districts, Downtown Niches, Downtown Redevelopment, Economic Development, Entertainment niche, Formal entertainment venues, Housing, Informal entertainment venues, Innovations, New Normal, Pamper Niche, Parksmand public spaces, Pedestrian traffic, Planning and Strategies, The Arts and tagged Cebtral Social Districts, downtown CSDs, downtown restaurants, downtown retail. Bookmark the permalink.

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← The Downtown Curmudgeon’s Take on Downtown Central Social Districts
The “Unbonding” of a Growing Number of Creative Workers From Their Employers Can Impact Our Downtowns →

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  • Will Urbanized Suburban Downtowns Attain New Levels of Comparative Strength as the Economy Recovers?

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