Start Small. Build Big. Shape Your Neighborhood.
Small & Tactical Moves To Create Thriving Third Places.
American households want walkable neighborhoods, but creating vibrant Main Streets from scratch is hard. That’s why we’ve developed a tactful, incremental strategy that’s never been available in one resource, until now.
The Incremental Neighborhood Main Street Toolkit (TM) gives you a proven set of tools, techniques, and an experienced team to deliver thriving, highly desirable, walkable amenities that differentiate your community while minimizing risk and cost. From pop-ups and mobile businesses to flex spaces and shopfronts, we make it easy to start small and grow big, one smart move at a time.
Why:
1. American households want walkability.
2. It is hard to create Main Streets from scratch.
3. A tactful incremental strategy is ideal and not previously available in one resource.
What:
A set of proven tools and techniques and experienced team to deliver vibrant, highly desirable, walkable amenities that will.
Photo credit – Culdesac Inc.
A Set of Tools and Techniques
Mobile Businesses
A mobile business is like a shop on wheels — It chases opportunity and sets up where the demand is, whether that’s a food truck feeding lunchtime crowds or a bike repair van saving bikes on the go.
It’s portable, but it’s about being agile and adaptive.
With so many things in flux, a mobile business meets customers where they are — street corners, festivals, parking lots, empty lots, and homes — turning any space into a marketplace.
A Set of Tools and Techniques
Pop Up Businesses
A pop-up business is a bold, fast-moving way to make a splash in the market without long-term ties. It’s a temporary, flexible venture designed to create quick impact and test new ideas. Operating for a limited time in a specific location, it allows entrepreneurs to engage directly with customers, build brand awareness, and experiment with products or services without the commitment of a permanent space.
It’s a strategic way to generate buzz, gather feedback, and seize short-term opportunities in a fast-moving market.
A Set of Tools and Techniques
Flex/Live-Work Spaces
A flex space is a small, adaptable unit that can be used for living, working, or either one over time. It serves residents who want to live and work in the same place, small businesses that need affordable commercial space, and residents who want a home that can later transition to commercial use.
Flex spaces help neighborhoods test commercial demand, support local entrepreneurs, and reserve key locations for future walkable, mixed-use activity, without building more than the market can support.
A Set of Tools and Techniques
Small Shopfront Spaces
A small shopfront is a 650–2,000 sq. ft. permanent space along a lively main street. It serves as a familiar neighborhood touchpoint, where a café might offer a regular stop, shop owners greet customers by name, and long‑standing businesses help shape the street’s character.
Small shopfront spaces are best suited for established businesses that anchor the main street and strengthen the surrounding neighborhood.
A Set of Tools and Techniques
Programming
Regular small and mid-sized events help build momentum, shape the identity of a place, and draw people to a new or growing neighborhood main street, especially when supported by thoughtful social media. These early events are essential to making the street feel like a destination.
Ready to Start Small and Build Big? Let’s Chat!
This is the first phase of a new R&D initiative. Additional content, including case studies for each tool and interviews with internal experts offering insights and strategies, will be released over time.
Incremental Neighborhood Main Street Toolkit
3 Incremental Neighborhood Main Street Toolkit Project Examples
Speaking Nationwide
