A recent report highlights the state of Wisconsin downtowns, featuring the 37 current and four aspiring Main Street districts.
Eleven Northeast Wisconsin communities were included in the study including Sturgeon Bay, Green Bay, De Pere, Tigerton, Two Rivers, Omro, Sheboygan Falls, Fond du Lac, Ripon, Green Lake and Waupun.
WEDC identified three categories of downtowns in Wisconsin: emerging, growing, and established. Downtowns were placed into these categories by determining rate of growth, citywide share of residents and jobs, density of residents, and assessed land values per square mile.
Downtowns with the greatest density, land value, and share of citywide resources made up the established tier. Other downtowns fall into the growing or emerging tiers based on how quickly they are growing. The trends report identified five key principles–economy, inclusion, housing, vibrancy, and resilience–and analyzed more than 50 key metrics within these principles to quantify the value of a given Wisconsin downtown.
- Emerging Downtowns in the early stages of downtown revitalization include Green Lake, Omro, Tigerton and Two Rivers.
- Growing Downtowns Cities that have made noticeable progress in downtown development include Fond du Lac, Ripon, Sheboygan Falls, and Waupun.
- Established Downtowns with well-developed, highly active downtown areas include De Pere, Green Bay, and Sturgeon Bay.
