Throughout the Midwest, there are examples of thriving central business districts. University of Illinois Extension in partnership with the University of Illinois Department of Urban and Regional Planning conducted a literature review to identify common strategies and attributes of successful downtowns in small cities.

The team conducting the review was comprised of faculty advisor Dr. Mary Edwards, graduate research assistant Manish Singh, and Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit community and economic development educator Kathleen Brown.

Phase 4: Implementation

In this phase, the business consulting team aligned their analysis with the objectives and scope of the engagement. This included providing best practices for organizational structure, a fundraising strategy and a proposed value proposition, with high levels of input and feedback from SMG.

August, 2014 North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Extension, University of Wisconsin Extension, Iowa State Extension.

Transit Planning & TOD Urban Design in Peoria

UIUC Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois Extension and CityLink presented at IL American Planning Association Annual Meeting in Evanston last week.