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CMSC Blog: When the Only Way Out is Through, It’s Nice To Know You Have Company

By Christine On January 12, 2021 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
2020 was tough for everyone, but for me personally, it was really tough. I don’t think I realized how much so until I was summarizing it for someone and got caught off guard by a strong wave of emotion. Seriously ill parents and in-laws, my dad’s passing, a steep furlough, and of course Covid. And
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CMSC Blog: Supporting Local Small Businesses Is More Important Than Ever

By Christine On November 10, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
Small independent businesses and restaurants are the lifeblood for our downtowns, village centers and neighborhood commercial districts.  These businesses have been faced with unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Businesses, and the communities in which they are located, have had to pivot to find ways to navigate this crisis.  At Connecticut Main Street Center,
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CMSC Blog: Communicating Downtown Assets to a Vastly Changed Audience

By Christine On October 13, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
New Realities Can Bring New Opportunities Nothing is as it used to be.  And our changed circumstances require not only a revised message but a reinvigorated message – because those receiving your communication will be doing so through a vastly altered prism. Perception – perhaps more than ever – will influence our new reality, and
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CMSC Blog: Libraries: The Heart and Soul of Downtown

By Christine On September 10, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
Now more than ever, libraries provide a resource for citizens as well as a forum for enlightenment, education, and community building. In addition to the traditional role as a collection of books, their resources and programs also offer something for patrons of every age: Children’s Programs Teen After-School activities (study, gaming, projects) Adult Education (EFL
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CMSC Blog: Where the Grass is Greener

By Christine On August 17, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
How COVID is Helping City Dwellers Discover the Appeal of CT’s Downtowns The COVID-19 public health crisis hit New York City particularly hard, with more than 220,000 cases and 22,000 deaths as of late July. These numbers spurred an early exodus from New York City for folks who have since made Connecticut their permanent home.
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CMSC Blog: RECOVERY & RESILIENCY

By Christine On July 8, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
Moving Forward Through Uncertainty As Connecticut transitions from our initial, deliberate steps in managing this public health and resultant economic crisis, we are now in the forward-looking and proactive recovery process. Our ultimate goal is to ensure we have more resilient communities that are better positioned to weather adversity. Over the past four months of
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CMSC Blog: More Locally Based Means More Resilient

By Christine On June 10, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
As municipalities across the country begin to recover from COVID-19, Main Streets are witnessing unprecedented impacts on their small-business retail or commercial fabric. While it is true that small businesses built Main Streets and most will continue to provide vital services to residents, it is undeniable that not all are going to weather this economic
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CMSC Blog: Bringing Our Main Streets to Life With Interactive 3-D Design Visualization

By Christine On May 11, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
From visioning to implementation Lots of time is spent imagining safe, inviting Main Streets that bring pride and economic vibrancy to our downtowns.  But a vision is not enough. An implementable design must be created around that vision.  The design must be reflective of existing conditions, meet various regulations, have community support, align with funding
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CMSC Blog – Choosing to Connect to People and Place:

By Christine On April 13, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
Ideas for Creating Resilient Downtowns, Villages, and Main Streets by Laura Pirie As we all get used to the “new normal”, at least for the near term, it’s been fascinating to witness new connections, or re-connections, in our neighborhoods. We are hunkering-in, teaching our kids at home, working at home, and trying to stay connected
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Why a LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT should lead the site design process

By Christine On March 10, 2020 · Add Comment · In Blog, In the News
Landscape architects often find themselves in a figurative “arm wrestling” contest with other consultants for the site scope of work. Civil engineers and landscape architects have an obvious and not so obvious overlap in skill set, with the lines between the professions blurred at best. Each discipline is licensed to execute the site design and
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