The Downtown Curmudgeon

N. David Milder, founder and president of DANTH, Inc. is a nationally recognized authority on downtown revitalization and a leading proponent of developing market niches. He has more than 35 years of experience utilizing market research and management skills to help revitalize business centers.

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Let’s Get Real About*: The Arts As An Important Downtown Revitalization Tool — Redux. Part 1

Posted on June 18, 2017 by DANTH

By N. David Milder

“Aeschylus and Plato are remembered today long after the triumphs of Imperial Athens are gone. Dante outlived the ambitions of thirteenth century Florence. Goethe stands serenely above the politics of Germany, and I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over cities, we too will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.”

–John F. Kennedy

Back in 2014 and 2015, I …

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE PERPLEXITIES OF DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY

Posted on May 13, 2017 by DANTH

By N. David Milder

Introduction

Over the past 15 to 20 years, pedestrian activity has become an essential element in our understanding of how successful downtowns and Main Street districts work. Such activity has qualitative and quantitative aspects. The well deserved and growing attention that downtown “walkability” has garnered reflects the qualitative concerns of those active in downtown revitalization about the physical and social conditions that encourage pedestrian activity. It is also a de facto acknowledgement …

34TH STREET: A FABLED SHOPPING DISTRICT AND WINDOW ON THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN RETAILING

Posted on April 15, 2017 by DANTH

N. David Milder

OVERVIEW

The 34th Street Shopping District, a 31-block area in Midtown Manhattan, is legendary both in the USA and throughout the world. It is the place where Macy’s, the world’s largest department store, famously battled Gimbel’s, and Hollywood showed that miracles can happen. Since around 1900, with its 2.2 million SF, 12 level mother store that occupies a whole city block, Macy’s has epitomized what a department store is all about. Its national …

The New Normal For Our Downtowns Cheat Sheet

Posted on February 1, 2017 by DANTH

By N. David Milder

Since 2008, I have been writing about the New Normal for our downtowns. Recently, I have been asked on several occasions if I had a relatively brief summary article. I didn’t, so it seemed the time to write this one.

Downtowns Are Now Expected To Succeed

Success stories abound everywhere you look. Not every downtown has made it, but many have, and many more are well on their way. Today, laggard downtowns really stand out.

Downtowns Are The Place To …

A Large Luxury Urban Retail District Under the New Normal

Posted on January 23, 2017 by DANTH

According to my analysis, Deliberate Consumers are a powerful force under the New Normal for our downtowns (1). They, and the growing influence of e-commerce, have drastically changed our retail industry and the whole environment in which downtown merchants must operate. One of the hypotheses I derived from that analysis was that our very wealthiest consumers were the least likely to engage in more cautious and reduced retail spending both during and after the Great Recession. In turn, that should …

N. David Milder at DANTH, Inc.

Downtown Revitalization Specialist

The Downtown Curmudgeon

A Large Luxury Urban Retail District Under the New Normal