The Main Street Approach™

California Main Streets' expertise helps community members set forth a vision for their revitalization efforts, with organizational and financial support from businesses, citizens and local government. Community staff and volunteers implement projects and activities within the four program areas that comprise the Main Street Approach™ developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center:

1. Organization
Build an effective volunteer-driven management organization guided by professional staff with broad-based public and private support. Activities may include community visioning, work plan development, volunteer recruitment and fundraising.

2. Economic Restructuring
Identify your district's unique economic niche. Activities may include market analysis, business retention and recruitment, business education, parking and transportation improvements, building rehabilitation and new development.

3. Promotion
Create a unified, quality image and develop promotional strategies that capitalize on your district's unique assets. Activities may include retail advertising, community events, image campaigns, and heritage tours and exhibits.

4. Design
Enhance your district's design appearance. Activities may include cleaning and maintenance, design guidelines, facade improvements, safey programs, historic preservation, streetscape improvements, signage and window displays.

Eight Guiding Principles

In addition to the four program areas for revitalization, the Main Street Approach™ also relies on eight principles to produce fundamental changes in traditional commercial business districts.

1. The Main Street Approach™ is a comprehensive approach to revitalization.
It addresses all areas in which action must take place — design improvements, effective marketing, a strong organizational base and solid economic development strategies.

2. The Main Street Approach™ relies on quality.
The projects undertaken by a local Main Street program should reflect a high level of quality to reinforce the district's special characteristics.

3. A public-private partnership is needed to make meaningful, long-term revitalization possible.
Both public and private entities must be involved, as each sector has unique skills and particular areas in which it works most effectively, and neither can bring about change alone.

4. The Main Street Approach™ involves changing attitudes.
The changes experienced by many commercial districts in recent decades made shoppers and investors skeptical about these districts' potential. Demonstrating that positive change is taking place is central to a successful program.

5. The Main Street Approach™ focuses on existing assets.
Each community has special characteristics that set it apart from all others. By creating a strong revitalization effort based on the district's unique heritage, a local Main Street program builds on its own specific opportunities.

6. Main Street is a self-help program.
Without the will to succeed and the desire to work hard to create change, no revitalization program will flourish.

7. The Main Street Approach™ is incremental in nature.
Small, visible changes build to larger ones as the local Main Street program gains strength and becomes efficient in mobilizing resources for revival.

8. The Main Street Approach™ is implementation oriented.
By identifying and prioritizing the major issues that a district must confront, Main Street organizations can develop work plans and a strong network of volunteers capable of achieving success.

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