Two entrepreneurs and brothers take urban development matters into their own hands. The result? Lured by a contest offering free rent, and the associated buzz, Birmingham's South Avondale finds itself in the midst of a cultural renaissance.
"'White flight', population loss, and the closing of industrial businesses that manufactured goods such as cotton and bricks" writes Matt Stroud, all contributed to the demise of South Avondale, "[o]nce a small, thriving cultural district on the border of affluent sections of [Birmingham's] Southside."
Brothers Coby and Hunter Lake, however, capitalized on a combination of local policy changes and availability of federal stimulus money for "shovel ready" projects, by investing in real estate along South Avondale's main drag and building a brewery there, reports Stroud. They didn't stop there, however, in an effort to develop the neighborhood and attract more businesses, they also created a contest to give one new business owner six months of free rent in one of their vacant, ground level storefronts.
With the help of Main Street Birmingham, a public-private urban redevelopment organization that partners with the city, the brother's launched the, "Occupy Avondale" contest, which received 75 applications. The winner was Freshfully, "a grocery store designed for local farmers to sell their food and goods" and "additional businesses have since gravitated to South Avondale", writes Stroud.
This urban revitalization maneuver apparently worked for South Avondale in Birmingham, and to varying degrees in places like Cleveland, an Indiana town called Lawrenceburg, and Buffalo. "For some businesses, especially when they're starved for cash, six months of free rent is great," says Robert Simons, an urban studies professor at Cleveland State University specializing in real estate development and public economics, "It can make all the difference."
"South Avondale had plenty of help from the federal stimulus," writes Stroud, "along with help from a new set of alcohol laws," but the Lake brothers were able to create the buzz and critical mass needed to sustain their business investment in the long run.
FULL STORY: Is Free Rent Enough to Jumpstart a Sleepy Commercial District?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie