A Multi-Main Street Model in
Washington, D.C.
Executive Summary
This case study examines the Multi-Main Street model developed by District Bridges, a community ecosystem development nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. This replicable model addresses the pressing issue of commercial displacement. The District Bridges’ Multi-Main Street model builds upon the nationally recognized Main Street Four Point Approach, developed by the National Main Street Center.
By employing a scaled approach, this innovative model increases organizational capacity and sustainability while centering small business needs. By doing so, it not only generates greater economic impact but also actively preserves the unique sense of place identity and culture within dynamic urban environments.
Introduction
In the 1980’s, the National Main Street Center developed the Main Street Approach® as a transformative model to support the revitalization of downtown areas that faced years of neglect. As the shopping and development trends of the country shifted to big box stores and shopping malls, many “Main Streets” were left vacant and struggling. The Main Street Approach® drew communities back downtown and focused on reinvesting in small and local businesses.
In 2002, Washington, D.C., joined these communities by establishing the DC Main
Street coordinating program managed by the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD). Today, DC Main Streets boasts 28 accredited and affiliated programs serving neighborhood commercial corridors across the District. These programs are implemented by local nonprofit organizations that receive annual grants from DSLBD. The philosophy that underpins the Main Street model is sound and impactful.
Nonetheless, the implementation of the model in urban environments, like D.C., where a single neighborhood can be larger than an entire rural town, has posed significant sustainability and capacity issues for urban Main Street organizations.Additionally, because the Main Street Approach was born out of a historic
preservation ethic focused on physical buildings, there has historically been minimal attention paid to racial equity and cultural preservation. Despite this, Washington, D.C., has relied on Main Streets programs as one of its core models for community-based economic development. Many of the challenges facing DC Main Street organizations are not unique to Main Streets, but rather pervasive among small nonprofits in general. However, because of multiple dynamics, the DC Main Streets programs face several critical challenges that undermine the health and vitality of the nonprofits responsible for implementing the programs, diminishing their hyperlocal impact, and ultimately hindering the broader economic development of the city. Here are the challenges:
Limited Budgets and Fundraising Capacity
Limited Organizational Capacity
Inequitable Investment and Access
Restrictive Boundaries
Scarcity Mentality and Competition
Case Study Approach
The approach to this case study is an illustrative one written from the experience of the founding executive director of District Bridges. The findings of the study are derived from District Bridges data collection encompassing its six Main Street programs, as well as insights from the other 22 Main Street organizations in D.C. Moreover, this study is informed by research conducted by leading experts on economic development and Washington, D.C., history and policy
Analysis and Recommendations
The District Bridges’ Multi-Main Street model serves as an important tool in combating commercial displacement by supporting and preserving small businesses through a hyperlocal relational approach. Cities are constantly developing and evolving, but that development does not have to result in small business displacement and the loss of neighborhood identity. Too often, the voices of those businesses most vulnerable to displacement are not heard above the voices of those with power, money, and control.
Main Streets can elevate the voices of vulnerable businesses through their hyper-local, relationship driven approach and serve as a first line of defense against rapid commercial gentrification. However, without the strategic development of the capacity of the organizations managing these vital programs, the constant pressures of gentrification will continue to outpace Main Street organization’s ability to intervene on behalf of businesses. The District Bridges’ Multi-Main Street model provides practical tools that can support organizations in developing the necessary scale and capacity to meet the demands of the communities they serve.
In the ideal state, local city governments and community development nonprofit organizations would proactively and collaboratively work together to address economic pressures. They would work in a symbiotic way creating feedback loops enabling innovation toward better economic outcomes. But as this case study has demonstrated, the ideal state is often not the reality. So the question for practitioners remains, “Where do you start?”
Key Lessons Learned & Recommendations:
Based on our learnings, we have several recommendations for city government leaders and community development nonprofit leaders who want to develop a more holistic community development ecosystem through a model like, District Bridges Multi-Main Street model.
City Level Recommendations:
- Fund organizations based on their demonstrated scale, capacity, and impact
- Fund capacity building for organizations that want to expand their scope and impact.
- Tolerate measured risks by utilizing pilot programs to test concepts.
- Promote and incentivize collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders.
Organization Level Recommendations:
- Think big. Start small. Build with intention. What District Bridges has built took time, but we were able to develop our scale and capacity because we cast a big vision and then started building from where we were. Then we positioned ourselves to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that came our way.
- Look for partners. Central to the development of our Multi-Main Street model is that we only launched programs where we had established community partners. Main Streets are community driven and community built. You simply can’t build it on your own, so look for those partners that share your vision and build together.
- Stay humble, nimble, and don’t reinvent the wheel. There is not one way to go about impactful community development work. We humbly offer these recommendations based on what we have learned through our on the ground experiences. But this body of work is expansive, and no practitioner can have all the answers. Seek help from other practitioners doing the work.