Listening to the community leads to good things
Thomasville GA is a small town (about 1/5 the population of Arden Arcade) in Southwest Georgia. An article posted at Strong Towns today describes the city's success at establishing a public arts district -- with related businesses -- that is reviving an otherwise run-down part of town. Community input drove the project from inception of the idea through implementation. That formula contrasts with our own community's experience, where we seem to get whatever developers and the County want, even when the community has different ideas or suggests modifications.
"Towns large and small can learn from Thomasville’s example by involving the whole community in decisionmaking, letting good ideas rise to the top and testing them to see what works, then building on each success to build a stronger town."Strong Towns, "A Creative District in Thomasville, GA" by Rachel Quednau, May 15, 2017
West Jackson Street in Thomasville GA