Economic Value of Urban Design

The relationship between urban design and economic activityis seldom studied through empirical andscholarly research with alarge number of cities due, in part, to the implicit and intangiblenature of design. This book explores and evaluates this complexrelationship with reference to the 136 Texas Main Street Programdistricts in order to shed some light on the broader question as towhether urban design generates economic value. First, the design,promotion, organization, and economic restructuring components ofthe Main Street Program 's comprehensive four-point approach weresurveyed in the active districts. Next, the economic changes thattook place within these districts were analyzed. Finally, a varietyof citywide economic indicators were compared for a five-yearperiod among three categories of cities: those active in the MainStreet Program, those formerly active but now inactive, and thosewho have not participated. This book reveals the types of changesthat occurred in the components of the four-point approach inrelation to the local economic activity within the Main Streetdistricts and cities in Texas. It should be especially useful toscholars, professionals, and decision makers in Architecture,Design, and Planning fields, or anyone who have vested interests inurban design and economic value.