main street research project - Academic Technology Center ...

the marketplace. Since the recent downturn in the economy, the economic climate has staggered
growth on Main Street. This is clearly demonstrated through the noticeable number of vacancies.
In 1995, Steven Lagerfield wrote an article in the Atlantic Online discussing ―What Main Street
Can Learn from the Mall.‖ In this article, shopping guru Robert Gibbs gave insight on the
situation, explaining how small cities can survive by learning the lessons of the shopping mall,
everything from a store‘s location to the placement of benches to the color of trash cans. The
bottom line, Gibbs stated, was that ―if people won't come downtown to shop, there simply won't
be a civic realm‖ 3 . Even as Main Street developed over the years, Waltham still tended to lag
behind other towns in its rate of development. Instead of making an innovative, new idea a
reality, the City has often waited to see how other surrounding towns would manage an issue
before they attempted it themselves. The importance of aesthetics and business presence in the
downtown has now reached an all-time high. This report is one example of efforts accumulated
to respond to this transformation.
STRUCTURE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT
With a three month time constraint, the research team limited the study to the area shown in
Figure 1–1. That is, the scope of the project ranged between Lyman and Heard Street to Bank
Street and the forked intersection. Owners of non-chain businesses were surveyed and all other
occupied stores were considered in our research. Even though our focus was only on a portion of
Main Street, the findings from the business owners, landlords, and realtors have provided helpful
information to other areas in the downtown Waltham vicinity.
Area of
Project
Focus
Figure 1-1: Area of Study
3 Lagerfield, Steven. ―What Main Street Can Learn From The Mall.‖ The Atlantic Online. The Atlantic Monthly
Company, Nov. 1995: 110-120.
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