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Inspired by the shared belief that people and communities are the lifeblood of our great state, the Nebraska Main Street Network is dedicated to enlivening our downtowns as cultural and economic drivers for the future. The Nebraska Main Street Network partners with communities to transform and revitalize their business districts through educational programming and technical assistance. Fostering entrepreneurs, promoting environmental sustainability while ensuring equity and diversity, we help communities preserve local history and their treasured architecture. We're making history from history!

 

"It's not about doing big visible projects, it's learning how and building our capacity to keep our downtown vibrant for the long-term. Having the ongoing support system that both the Nebraska Main Street Network and the National Main Street Center provides helps us stay on task and motivated unlike many of the other programs we've been involved in where well-intentioned people come in, recommend a project or hold a meeting and then leave us to figure things out on our own. The Nebraska Main Street Network is there for us no matter what happens."

--Local Main Street Board Chair

News & Events

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I am very happy to share this article on downtown multifunctionality/ functional diversity that was recently published in the JURR, a British journal focused on urban renewal and regeneration. It reflects my most recent thinking on this subject, as well as my efforts to add some analytical heft to it while also getting more people to find it of interest and importance.

Here’s the abstract:“In the large downtowns in the US, the adaption rates and impacts of ...

By N. David Milder

I am proud to share with you my article “How Our Downtowns’ Three Most Important User Groups Can Help Their Sustained Recoveries” that was recently published in the IEDC’s Economic Development Journal. It focuses on downtown workers, residents and visitors and covers our largest downtowns as well as those of more modest size. It presents several analytical conclusions that counter conventional wisdom. For instance, while the media have focused on the reduced presence of downtown workers in ...

By N. David Milder

I have really had it with the Doomers, those who argue that our large downtowns are doomed to failure and diminishment.[1] It’s time to call them out for being the downtown ignorant Chicken Littles that they are.

Their Covid crisis instigated doom loop analysis has been a considerable worry for many municipal business and political leaders, since it predicts not just the decline, but the end of our large downtowns’ ability to be thriving business districts. ...