October 2, 2007

Northampton's Main Street Designated One of 10 Great Street in America

NORTHAMPTON, MA — The American Planning Association (APA) announced today that Main Street in Northampton, Massachusetts, has been designated as one of 10 Great Streets for 2007 through APA's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.

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"We are delighted that Main Street has received this important recognition," Mayor Clare Higgins said. "We have worked hard to craft a downtown that is welcoming and provides opportunities to local businesses, residents and visitors alike. Main Street is an integral part of what gives our downtown area a unique character," she said.

"The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association offers its congratulations to the City of Northampton for this well deserved recognition of Main Street as part of APA's 2007 Great Places in America Program," added APA's Massachusetts Chapter President Steven Sadwick, AICP. "Northampton has a great tradition of planning and this recognition of their work on Main Street over the years illustrates the work planners do to help create communities of lasting value."

APA selected Main Street as one of 10 Great Streets in America for its interesting architectural features, how it capitalizes on the surrounding natural features and topography, and the street's ability to balance the competing needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers.

APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work everyday. America's truly great neighborhoods are defined by many unique criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement. Through Great Places in America APA recognizes the unique and authentic attributes of essential building blocks of great communities — streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces.

"We're excited to recognize Main Street as one of our Great Streets," said APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, FAICP. "Northampton shows how a community can accommodate both motorists and pedestrians without compromising the city's character and sense of place," he added.
While 19th-century buildings dominate Main Street, it is the mix of architectural styles combined with current building uses — boutiques, galleries, coffee houses and restaurants — that create visual interest and encourage people to walk, gather, and interact.

A 1980s streetscape program sent utility lines underground, eliminating poles. That, combined with a lack of gaps or dead areas, provides an uninterrupted, continuous facade along Main Street. Planners have discouraged uses that generate heavy vehicular traffic. Some of those uses, such as automobile sales and services, are prohibited while others, like take-out restaurants, require a special-use permit. The result is a sense of liveliness — day and night, weekday and weekend.

To get people out of their cars and onto Main Street, planners were instrumental in the development of a unique parking structure that blends seamlessly with the historic urban fabric. The garage also made it possible for the city to allow Main Street building owners to expand or modify without having to provide additional parking. This has served as an incentive to owners of one-level structures to build a second story, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of the streetscape.

Retail vacancy rates along Main Street are extremely low and the upper floors of buildings are filled with offices and residences. The continuous — almost round the clock — presence of workers and residents has been instrumental to Main Street's economic and social success.

The nine other APA Great Streets for 2007 are Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia; Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Delmar Loop, University City and St. Louis, Missouri; Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia; North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ilinois; Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida; 125th Street, Harlem, New York City; South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah; and St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana. For more information about these streets, and the list of APA's 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces.

This year's 10 Great Streets and Great Neighborhoods will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2007, designed to recognize and celebrate the many residents, leaders, officials, and professionals who contribute to making great communities. For more about National Community Planning Month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.

Contacts
Richard Neal, City of Northampton; rneal@northamptonma.gov
Denny Johnson, APA, 202-349-1006; djohnson@planning.org