Transformation Strategies are developed through meaningful community engagement and informed by an analysis of the district’s market position and help to guide a revitalization program’s work. An effective Transformation Strategy serves a particular customer segment, responds to an under-served market demand, or creates a differentiated destination.
Some "ready-to-use" strategies — called Catalyst Strategies — fall into two broad categories: those that are focused on a specific customer segment and those that are focused on an industry, product, or service segment.
Downtown Mesquite volunteers have taken a deep dive into data about the community and the downtown neighborhood. Over a period of time, the group took at look at the median age of Mesquite (32.5 at the time of analysis), average income, shopping and lifestyle habits of the median age and other markets, inventory of our current businesses and properties and other pertinent demographic data. All of this information was considered as the Catalyst/Transformation Strategies for Downtown Mesquite were determined. They are:
- Dining and Entertainment: Analysis strongly indicates that Downtown Mesquite's future success depends on developing more locally owned, unique dining and entertainment entities in the historic heart of Mesquite.
- Art: The arts help underscore downtown as an inviting, unique place to be. But the Art Strategy isn't just about public art and galleries. It's also about the business of the arts - music stores, filmmaking, hobby and art supplies, maker spaces and more fall into this category. In terms of office and space use, think about architects, designers and more.
- Food: This Strategy is about food production, food events, and possible projects such as food halls and food truck facilities.
As volunteers strategize projects, they keep in mind our core demographics and these three strategies.
A portion of the above information was originally published on the Main Street America website: www.MainStreet.org