Understanding Community Transformation Strategies

Community Transformation Strategies are designed to serve as the backbone for what drives a Main Street Program’s strategic plan. They are intended to function as an overarching theme to rally volunteers, inspire investors and serve to as a catalyst for growth over a period of three to five years. At their core Community Transformation Strategies should be:

COMPREHENSIVE and serve as an idea that unifies projects, programs and events under one work plan. When getting started, the best question to ask yourself is “What is the big picture goal I want to accomplish in my downtown district?”

ASSET-BASED research used to establish the foundation and to determine which strategy will best suit the downtown district’s needs. Market-based research should demonstrate an understanding of the current economic climate in the downtown, as well represent communitywide opinions and feedback.

VISIONARY and representative of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of both residents and visitors alike. It is important to make sure Main Street Programs engage and share their vision for a better tomorrow with all key community stakeholders and partners, investing the community in the plans for the future.

CONCISE and direct. Each Community Transformation Strategy is intended to summarize goals and action items into a two or three-word theme that can be easily described, repeated and shared with others. Think of it as the Main Street Program’s elevator speech, specifically for the work plan.

MEASURABLE with goals ultimately to outline your program’s success. Each objective, project or program completed should inch you closer towards achieving your vision for downtown. We can easily overlook successes when measurable objectives are not attached to our goals. By determining measurable goals and timelines in the beginning of the work plan development process, success can be both quantified and celebrated by all involved.

Community Transformation Strategies for established Main Street communities fall in to one of two potential categories: Catalyst or Customized. A Catalyst Strategy refers to a type of “off the shelf ” Community Transformation Strategy that has been fully developed by the Georgia Main Street Program or the National Main Street Center to help guide Main Street staff and board members with the implementation and execution of common topics and themes. A Customized Strategy is exactly that, customized. Customized Strategies are crafted entirely by the local Main Street Program to meet, or address, a specific need in the community or downtown.

While the National Main Street Center has developed 21 “off the shelf ” Catalyst Strategies based on either a specific customer segment or industry/product, the Georgia Main Street Program has worked to develop 15 “off the shelf ” Catalyst Strategies which we believe more broadly represent the needs in our local communities and the challenges we have seen directly impacting our Main Street Programs.

The Georgia Main Street Program’s Catalyst Strategies are thematic in nature allowing them to be suitable for communities of all sizes. These unifying themes may be adopted and applied more broadly across multiple retail sectors, industries and customers segments, serving both rural and urban communities alike. At the Georgia Main Street Program, we understand the one thing making each of these strategies unique is your community. Your city’s particular demographics, support, population, desires and local assets will ultimately shape the perspective placed on programming, thereby tailoring your selected strategy specifically to your needs.

For detailed information on each of these individual catalyst strategies we encourage you to check out

Georgia Main Street Program’s CATALYST STRATEGIES

Arts and Entertainment Beautification Initiatives and Design Business Activation and Development Downtown Living Community Serving

Transportation and Pedestrian Experience

Ecotourism and Recreational Economy Agricultural Focus Environmental Sustainability

Public Health and Wellness

Greenspace Maintaining Authenticity Placemaking

Storytelling Tourism