I learn from my clients -- or sometimes their assignment forces me to learn for myself. This was recently the case in a trip to Boise, Idaho. I was invited by Terri Schorzman of COMPASS -- the Community Planning Association of Southeast Idaho. Terri had invited me to make a presentation on property rights as part of a speaker series COMPASS is hosting.

But since she was stuck paying for a day's worth of my time, Terri contacted Katina Dutton, the development manager for Boise's Capital City Development Corporation for how else I might spend my time. It turns out that the City of Boise and CCDC have been looking at strategies to enhance and revitalize 5 or 6 shopping centers located within Boise's residential neighborhoods.

Well, over the years I've worked in a number of neighborhood business districts around the country including Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Baltimore and elsewhere, so at first I thought, "No problem". But then during my pre-visit discussions with Terri and Katina I realized that what they were describing in Boise were not really neighborhood business districts at all, but rather shopping centers that are located in neighborhoods. So I spent the weekend pondering what the differences between the two are. And here, for what it's worth, is my list.

Neighborhood Business Districts (NBDs) usually have multiple building owners

Neighborhood Shopping Centers (NSCs) are usually a single owner

NBDs are pedestrian oriented

NSCs are automobile oriented

NBDs are predominately locally owned businesses

NSCs are predominately chain businesses (at least until they begin to decline)

NBDs are integrated with the residential neighborhood

NSCs are isolated

NBDs are usually part of the urban grid

NSCs bear no relationship to the gird

NBDs include buildings that have been constructed over time

NSCs are built all at once

NBDs are often two and three story buildings

NSCs are nearly always one story buildings

NBDs often have functions beyond merely retail

NSCs are usually exclusively retail (until the center is declining, in which case the owner will take whomever comes along)

NBDs usually have only on street parking but lots of means of pedestrian access

NSCs have lots of asphalt parking but little convenient pedestrian access

The orientation of businesses in NBDs is external and on both sides of the street

The orientation of businesses in NSCs is either internal or on only one side

NBDs have an intense use of land

NSCs have an excess of land

NBDs can have a sense of community ownership, regardless of who the deed holders are

NSCs are seen as simply an investment of some Real Estate Investment Trust

The strategy for declining NBDs is revitalization

The straetgy for declining NSCs is redevelopment

By its very nature, revitalization of NBDs is incremental

Redevelopment efforts of NSCs are often massive and comprehensive

Revitalization efforts in NBDs are usually private sector led and public sector supported

Redevelopment of NSCs is usually public sector led and private sector implemented

Obviously there are exceptions to the above in both Neighborhood Business Districts and Neighborhood Shopping Centers, but I think most of the charactertistics apply to most of the situations.

But what I learned from having to think this through for Boise is this -- When confronted with declining Neighborhood Shopping Centers the strategy ought to be, "How can we make this a Neighborhood Business District instead?" Perhaps the list of distinctions above can be the starting point.

Post Script: One great approach Boise is taking is putting branch libraries in these neighborhood shopping centers -- a great first step in converting them to neighborhood business districts.

Labels: neighborhood business districts, neighborhood shopping centers

I often tell clients, students and audiences that I have the best job in the world -- and that is no exaggeration. Every year I get to visit a hundred or so communities throughout the United States, and in recent years a dozen or so countries.

And here's what I do -- I go in, pretend I know what I'm talking about, and leave. No responsibility, no implementation, no follow through. Who could have a better job than that? And that's probably just as well, because I really don't have many skills. But I do have one -- I'm a very good note taker. I see what people are trying to do, what seems to work, what doesn't, and from those notes I make lists. That's what I really am -- a list maker.

But I've recently realized that I'm being a bit selfish with what I'm learning, that there ought to be a way to more widely distribute these great lessons. A blog may be it. So I'll give it a shot. While my clients pay me to come to their community, I nearly always learn more from them than they from me. And so I hope to translate what's being done in downtown revitalization, historic preservation, and economic development in any given community to a larger context. That will probably be in the form of lists.

So read, comment, refute, or add as you see fit. I know there are lots of lessons being learned in places I don't get to visit first hand, so I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any ideas you throw my way.

rypkema