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Jeff Szyperski, founder of ReThink Main Street, will tailor a plan to a locality’s individual needs and budget.
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Szyperski worked with the City of Martinsville to conceptualize how an alley could be turned into an open-air craftsman/maker space.
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Small towns and cities can turn blighted spots into walkable commercial spaces with thoughtful design and planning.
Ask Jeff Szyperski what he loves, and he’ll tell you “good design.” Mention the relationship between urban design and economic growth and you’ll have his full attention.
That’s because Szyperski, founder of ReThink Main Street, gets it. He understands the impact that well-thought-out design has on the economics of our communities, particularly for small towns. His goal is to “examine and reevaluate the role that our small towns play in our communities, both as areas of opportunity and as the economic and social hubs for their regions.
There is immense untapped potential in these smaller urban centers that are often overlooked in favor of more populous areas.” And to this end, he labors as a champion of small-town revitalization and development.
“I see in smaller towns, the urban fabric on a street level or a block-to-block level is often very much on par with what you would see in many parts of a larger city. And although that same type of fabric is there, there generally hasn’t been the focus on these small towns in the same way that you’ve seen in larger cities. Whether it is the prominent business district, a neighborhood, or a village crossroads, they all have potential to be an important center in their respective community,” Jeff Szyperski said.
In layperson’s terms, Szyperski means that small towns have the same good bones as larger cities, but the revitalization and use of space aren’t aligned.
He started ReThink Main Street while pursuing a graduate certificate in Real Estate and Urban Land Development from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The idea began as jots on a page, then a blog, followed by coffees and lunches with people working within the real estate development and urban planning space.
“I started talking with people who have done similar things to get their input on urban revitalization and development and particularly how it can be translated to smaller, more rural communities. And so, it just kind of took off from there,” he said.
“I like to emphasize the positive impacts provided by ‘quick wins.’ Inexpensive and temporary pilot projects are underutilized ways to test the concept without breaking the bank. I also like to find collaboration opportunities with stakeholders that exist in that community—whether it’s time or funding or public and private partners working together.”
To help small towns achieve their improvement goals, ReThink Main Street offers three core services surrounding design, programming and strategic plans. This ranges from a “ReThink” Improvement Roadmap, to a Tactical Improvement Plan, to a Comprehensive Improvement Plan.
The “ReThink” Improvement Roadmap is, as it sounds, a plan of action that identifies clear next steps to reinvigorate an area or corridor.
“We go through an hour-and-a-half consultation where I learn as much as possible about the community. At the end, I provide a report presenting concrete recommendations to improve the most important aspects of the area in question,” said Szyperski.
Tactical Improvement Plans provide more focus and direction for a rapid implementation of a pilot project.
“It’s referred to as tactical because it’s focused and able to be done on a short timetable. Generally, up to three months in length, I look to prioritize efficient use of resources to get a productive return relative to the investment of time and money,” he said.
His preference for most communities is to collaborate within a Comprehensive Improvement Plan.
“The comprehensive plans are longer term and that gives us the opportunity to make step-by-step improvements. As history has shown, communities are complex and can’t be changed overnight without unforeseen effects. As a result, I often like to take small steps and respond to feedback as needed. To do that effectively, building a long-term relationship Is extremely important.
These plans can be run individually or rolled up in succession.
“It can all be tailored as needed,” Szyperski said.
ReThink Main Street clients tend to be people in town and county economic development authorities, main street programs, property owners and developers. One recent project had him collaborating with the city of Martinsville.
“I worked with the City of Martinsville providing design services for a conceptual revitalization plan of an alley that they have downtown. The goal would be to turn it into a walkable, open-air craftsman/maker space, as well as a commercial area. It has the potential to provide an experience similar in scale to the narrow streets in Europe and would be a great place to highlight the large number of skilled craftsmen found in and around Martinsville,” he said.
Another recent client is Chuck D’Aprix, president of Innovate Fulton, a non-profit, grassroots Community Development Corporation created to revitalize the business district in the Greater Fulton neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia.
Szyperski said the intent is to update the commercial corridor in a way that it becomes a true community center for the residents there. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with Chuck and assist in providing renderings for new uses of properties and collaborating with the community to better respond to the needs of the residents.”
D’Aprix, a Main Street revitalization expert with 35 years experience in the field who has run Main Street programs in various states and consulted in 300 communities nationally, enjoyed collaborating with Szyperski on this project, saying he “brings new ideas to the table, but he listens carefully to what we are seeking.”
“Jeff reached out to me to seek information about what we are doing at Innovate Fulton, Inc. He thus far has added value by providing renderings of underutilized buildings. It is far easier to coalesce a neighborhood around a project when there are graphic representations,” said D’Aprix.
Szyperski said growing up Irvington “made it easy to see both sides of the coin”—appreciation for living in rural areas as well as within the town proper.
“One thing that I loved about being in a small town is the connectivity to people and places and things to do. While you can normally find that in cities, the smaller scale of towns like Irvington made all of it accessible at a younger age. Being able walk or bike to school, friends’ houses or the store provided a level of independence not offered in a lot of larger places. It was only when I began discussing my childhood with friends in college that grew up in more suburban areas that I realized how unique my experience actually was,” he said.
He says that there is a multitude of reasons that small towns can be appealing for both current and new residents. To better serve both, they often need to make better use of underutilized spaces along the main streets (i.e., repurposing empty spaces above and beside buildings) and not relying on one large employer to save the economy, but instead build it from within.
“If you’re looking for that hero, those people that you want in your town already exist. The issue is how easy you make it for them to say ‘yes’ and commit to growing their professional and personal lives there. So, it ultimately comes down to a mindset shift,” he said.
He recommends providing more options to live in walkable areas of downtown, adding shared commercial and light industrial spaces for entrepreneurs and creating more ‘third places’—which, as opposed to ‘first’ and ‘second places’ (your home and office), are places where you spend time, shop, eat, drink and socialize.
“Providing places in the heart of our towns for people to live, work, spend time is profoundly important to creating a strong sense of community. Cultivating places worthy of caring about is an essential part of that. Growing up, I was fortunate to have had that in my community, and I want to help provide that opportunity for others,” he said.
ReThinkMainStreet.com | Visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/rethinkmainstreet | Call Jeff Szyperski at 804-436-7059 for more information.