The mission of the Main Street Iowa Program is to improve the social and economic well-being of Iowa's communities by assisting selected communities to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their historic commercial district.
THE MAIN STREET APPROACH®
The Main Street Approach® was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center with the goal of economic development within the context of historic preservation. The following four points and eight guiding principles are integrated to create a positive, identifiable image for downtown districts.
Four Point Approach®
Economic Restructuring/Business Improvement -- This element involves diversifying the commercial district economy by identifying potential market niches, finding new uses for vacant or underused spaces and improving business practices.
Design -- Utilizing appropriate design concepts, the visual quality of the commercial district (buildings, signs, window displays, landscaping, and environment) is enhanced.
Organization -- Each community has many groups of people who are interested in and are willing to work toward the goal of a revitalized commercial district. The organizational element brings together the public sector, private groups and individual citizens, with coordination by a paid program manager, to work more effectively in the commercial district.
Promotion -- By promoting the downtown in a positive manner, a community can begin to focus on the commercial district as a source of community pride, social activity and economic development potential.
Guiding Principles
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Incremental Process
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Comprehensive Four Point Approach
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Quality
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Public and Private Partnership
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Changing Attitudes
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Focus on Existing Assets
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Self-Help Program
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Implementation Oriented
Economic Impact
The economic gains that have been experienced by the 63 Iowa Main Street communities that have been active throughout or during a portion of the time between April 1986 and the present speak for themselves.
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Main Street Iowa's Economic Impact
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Net gain of business starts, expansions and relocations
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4,008
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Net gain in new jobs
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12,026
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Building rehabilitations or renovations
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12,782
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Private dollars invested in building rehabilitations and renovations
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$898,982,279
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Buildings sold
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3,331
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Private dollars invested in property acquisitions
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$361,294,948
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Total private dollars invested in district buildings
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$1,260,277,227
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Total volunteer hours contributed
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2,355,578
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Figures from 1986 to present
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