So what has “four points,” and “eight principles,” and results in a better, more harmonious life? No, silly, it’s not Buddhism—it’s the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Streets program, which announced partnerships this morning to fix up the Alberta, Hillsdale and St. Johns neighborhoods according to said noble precepts.
To qualify, each neighborhood had to raise $30,000 in “community support” funding: begging for alms, if you will. Having passed that test, they’ll now get “considerable financial and technical assistance and extensive training” to fix up their neighborhoods to conform to a utopian downtown ideal.
- sam adams
Much of the money raised came from the City of Portland’s General Fund, and the projects will contribute to the Portland Economic Development Strategy and the plan for “20-minute neighborhoods” that Mayor Sam Adams has been touting extensively.
Aside from the “four points” (organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring), the “Main Streets” program is strangely big-brothery. On this PDC page, the city refers to the program as “Main Street®,” with the little “R” sign.
A closer look reveals that the National Trust has extensive guidelines for use of the “Main Street” term, and has in fact registered it as a trademark. Read their policy on the use of the name “Main Street” for more:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation owns the trademark for the phrase “Main Street” as it applies to the revitalization of traditional and historic commercial districts. The Trust allows local, regional, state, and citywide organizations involved in the revitalization of these commercial districts to use the name “Main Street” to describe their programs, according to the guidelines.
Congratulations and namaste to Alberta®, Hillsdale®, and St. Johns®.
Update 3:47 pm: More details on the program from Sam’s office after the jump.
Skip Newberry, the mayor’s adviser on economic development policy, says that the Main Streets plan is meant to be a long-term guiding system for improvements to the individual neighborhoods. The four points actually mean something real: for example, the “organization” point already occurred when the neighborhood committees got their materials in order for the National Trust to review. The “promotion” point will involve branding neighborhoods with unique identities (®). “Design” will be plantings, streetlights, and the like.
“There are already some ideas in terms of individual plans,” says Newberry. “We’ll see mapping of what will happen in the short term once the neighborhoods work to hire an actual coordinator for each district.”
That job is called the Main Street Manager, and is usually filled through an open hire. That hire is the main priority over the next year, along with other preliminary tasks that will use up that initial $30,000. “National Trust demonstrated that it’s typically in year three that we see real improvements on the part of districts,” says Newberry.
Is there any more description of what they’re getting besides “considerable financial and technical assistance and extensive training?”
Are there any examples of their work/results in other places?
CC – Portland hasn’t published much on specific plans, and I’ll call in for more info. In the meantime, here’s a list of previous Main Street implementations around the country: http://www.preservationnation.org/main-str…
I live on main street, it aint that great. I guess having the Jolly Roger so close is a great perk, sure go ahead and trademark that.
I’m familiar with this program. It’s a big planning exercise. In the end it might result in new benches and less on-street parking, and some sort of “marketing plan” for the street.
If you like long efforts resulting in “plans” and “strategy” documents, then it’s right up your alley.
From the way they register all those trademarks, I’m guessing they sue towns with main streets* across the country, and then use the proceeds to gussy up their clients’ “streets that are primary.”
* no caps! not infringing, i promise!!!
Sure, because Alberta DEFINITELY needs that money more than other applicants like SE 42nd.
Quite the loose association of begging for alms (which ultimately helps people) versus begging for Main Street® (which ultimately helps businesses on the street?)
And $30K? Does that cover the license fees of calling yourself Main Street®?
Am I the only one who thinks this program will eventually tie into the next presidential race?
Obama: “This is one way the folks on Wall Street can relate to the pain and suffering found on Main Street®.”
Well sure, now that all the african american’s have been forced out of the alberta neighborhood into east portland it seems perfectly legit to give this $ to the gentrified neighborhood (sarcasm). But we knowt he city council isn’t racist because they said so yesterday. Ha!
How much of the $30K went to the big fake check and the festivities?
This is really scary. It’s similar to the historic conservation districts popping up all over town in that they will soon be telling property owners what they can and can’t do with their property. This from the Main Streets website: “encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems” Now, in addition to The City, who’s going to decide what’s “appropriate” and “sensitive”?
The Main Streets program sounds curiously like the downtown BIDs popping up around the country. Bottom line, they promote privatization of public spaces, and I say oh hell no.
I might suggest that before knocking the program you find out more about it or at the very least give it a chance before squashing it. It isn’t a program for the businesses alone, it is a program for the communities surrounding the business districts. Creating opportunities for residents to support local merchants who are supporting local producers and not having to get in your car and drive to walmart to buy something made in China. And for the record I live in one of the neighborhoods and do not own a business.