Share these talks and lectures with your colleagues
Invite colleaguesPractice paper
Inclusive entrepreneurship in downtowns and urban districts
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
17
(2),
151-159
(2023)
Abstract
Small businesses are not only critical drivers of the local economy, particularly in downtowns and urban districts, but also the creators of wealth and opportunity for small business owners. Entrepreneurs from underrepresented or marginalised groups, however, face a lack of resources and limitations on the networks they need to thrive. Supporting entrepreneurs in these communities is a role that urban place management organisations (UPMOs) can step into to develop the local economy and create vibrancy and a unique identity for their district. Many of these businesses are typically street-level storefronts. Successful UPMOs have a unique skill set to link together public and private stakeholders, and in entrepreneurship can play a direct role in giving grants and identifying storefront space, providing wraparound services and developing programmes for business retention and sustainability. This paper describes multiple ways that UPMOs can support inclusive entrepreneurship. Ultimately, providing opportunities for a greater portion of the population benefits everyone and supports a culturally vibrant downtown for everyone.
Keywords: place management; entrepreneurship; inclusion; diversity; downtown revitalisation; small business; storefront
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Cathy Lin , ACIP, leads in-house research efforts in quantifying the value of downtowns and public–private place management organisations, providing best practice solutions, and serving as a source of leading indicators on issues affecting the future of downtowns and urban districts. Prior to joining IDA in 2018, Cathy was a project manager at the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, and a planner on the strategic research team at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore.
Brett Roler is a City Planner and downtown advocate committed to making downtown Memphis a place for everyone. Currently, he works as Senior Vice President at the Downtown Memphis Commission, where he manages an incentive toolkit that is growing the small developer ecosystem and focused on supporting women and minority-owned businesses. Brett served as the Chair of the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Top Issues Council for IDA in 2022.
Val Beerbower administers the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme for Sinclair College. This national programme offers small business owners an intensive 12-week course that will help them focus their efforts and scale their businesses sustainably. She was previously the Director of Economic Development at Downtown Dayton Partnership.
Bobby Boone has a decade of experience supporting retail districts, developments and brands throughout the nation with specialised expertise aligning policy, programming and strategic initiatives for independent retailer success. Prior to founding &Access, Bobby led a citywide effort to attract and maintain small businesses in Detroit and tackled wide-ranging retail challenges as a senior strategist at Streetsense, from repositioning Fortune 500 brands and malls of yesteryear to crafting expansion strategies for emerging brands and commercial corridors.
