SIDEWALKS; NOT ONLY FOR VISUAL ARTS, BUT MUSIC TOO.

In over four hundred cities around the world, musical chimes have been integrated into sidewalks or have been placed in parks.  Attracting visitors to your downtown is easier by offering unique experiences including sound.   No exactly an inexpensive addition to a downtown, but one that is apparently well received.   Here are a couple videos to prove the point:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ea2DJ71Sm8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exwStqF6hqg

MAKE YOUR SIDEWALKS AND PLANTERS (AND WALLS) MORE INTERESTING

Glow in the dark paint (or chalk) for downtown sidewalks is another option to bring interest to the business district.   Various suppliers have clear coat paints that can be applied to sidewalks, concrete planters, sides of buildings, etc.  The paint (or chalk) absorbs sunlight and gives off illumination after dark.  The cost for this type of application is dropping, and the variety of potential uses is limitless. Here are a few examples…

Water activated street art material is a similar concept, but the images only appear when the sidewalk (or other surfaces) are wet…

WALL ART AND 3-D WALL ART

Wall art (in its various forms) offers a great deal of potential for a downtown if there is enough to see and people know that it is there.  People will want to come to see the art, and if given an opportunity, interact with it.  Professional photographers are always looking for unique backdrops for their cleints. Cost can be minimal if you can recruite talent from within your community (individuals, art classes at local schools, etc.).

Wall art can be simply drawn on a wall...

Wall art can incorporate physical objects...

3-D Art will likely require hiring an artist experienced in the craft...

Wall art can also take a number of other forms...

Including gum (not a personal favorite...)

On a related note, a local downtown business (somewhere) painted a chef's hat and mustache on a mirror and put it in their front window (another way to draw interest to a business)...

HOLD A NON-TRADITIONAL DOWNTOWN MOVIE NIGHT

Technology can make downtown movie nights more interesting and less difficult to pull together...

Read more about this particular concept here:   

http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-05-28/guerrilla-film-project-changes-boundaries-movie-going

EAGLE SCOUTS....MORE THAN BENCHES

Just one of many organizations who can play a roll in making a better downtown is the Eagle Scouts. One recent project I stumbled across was this interactive lighting board (i.e. similar to Lite Brite (C) in downtown Oak Creek, Wisconsin inside their library.

Items that make downtown interesting do not necessarily all have to be located outside.  

ALLOWING SIGNS ON THE SIDEWALK

Along with allowing businesses to place displays on the public sidewalk, communities should also weigh the benefits of allowing businesses to put signs out in front of their store fronts during regular hours of operation.

Besides advertising their goods and services, this allows businesses to entertain and otherwise lure potential customers into their establishment.   Creativity is key as these examples show...