Older buildings with lower rents have enabled new businesses to startup in this Michigan city's lively downtown.
"If Sharon Ferraro could persuade her husband, they'd live above one of the businesses on Michigan Avenue between Portage and Pitcher Streets.
"It's like stepping back into 1910," she said, mentioning Kalamazoo has more than 2,000 historically designated buildings. Most are residential, but there are historic commercial buildings, too, and that section of Michigan Avenue is thick with them.
Because so many downtown Kalamazoo businesses are open nights and weekends, the area is lively, she added.
"I've been in other cities where the minute the business day is over, people are gone," Ferraro said. "Here, downtown is always moving. I see this mix of people of all ages and economic levels. We're not perfect, but it's lively down there."
Kalamazoo's historic preservation director thanked a series of coincidences for making that possible, and for making historic preservation a tool for Kalamazoo's economic development.
"If you look at the businesses unique to Kalamazoo, they all started in historic buildings," Ferraro said. "They didn't have tons of money to move into brand-new buildings. They took old buildings, fixed them up and grew into the unique businesses they are today."
In addition to lower initial rents, well-maintained old buildings create a sense of community stability and character."
FULL STORY: Historic preservation as an economic tool

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?

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.

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.
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