We often hear about how Manchester, NH has been reinvented and revitalized .
To better understand how, we looked at how similar we are to other cities in the United States.
We found that Asheville, North Carolina is a city with similar history. . .
Like us, The Great Depression hit Asheville quite hard; on November 20, 1930, eight local banks failed. Because of the explosive growth of the previous decades, the per capita debt owed by the city (through municipal bonds) was the highest in the nation.
It's gone from empty burned-out downtown buildings in the ’70s & 80’s to a vibrant diverse city just 30 years later.
Like us, it has a regional airport & is a city bisected by rail but no passenger service.
It is a college town dotted with tourism, microbreweries, restaurants, and nightlife supported by a bustling manufacturing and technology sector. We wanted to know,
What was Asheville’s path towards prosperity?
This led us to Urban3.
A firm focused on data, economics, and public policy.
We hired Urban3 in 2018 to educate the Manchester, NH community to make better decisions about design for development through an understanding of data, economics, and public policy.
We presented to over 150 Real Estate Developers, Downtown Businesses, Elected Officials (Mayor, Aldermen, Planning Board, and Zoning Board), Community Planning Groups, City Employees, and the Public.
Watch The Presentation
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Check Out The Latest Press Recaps
Business leaders look to Asheville, N.C., as a model for Manchester
For the past year, Jeremy and Liz Hitchcock have looked at ways to elevate the city’s vitality.
And they’ve using Asheville, N.C., as an example.
The value of downtown and building better communities.
Acre for acre dense urban neighborhoods are the cheapest to maintain and yield the highest return on investment when it comes to assessed value and property tax revenue..
More Resources
Joe Minnicozzi left us with a small list of recommendations to continue learning.
Strong Towns
Chuck Marohn
Misbehaving
Richard Thaler
Predictably Irrational
Daniel Airley
We are all ears!
Contact us and let us know your thoughts.
After sharing the financial picture of our Downtown and Millyard and how its operation impacts the financial geography of our city, our county, and our state and help us dream of an even more successful future for Manchester.