Downtown Study (box)

Brad Segal of Progressive Urban Management Association Inc. has consulted on downtown Springfield for seven years.

He said there were three main reasons that the organizational assessment study was needed:

center city's 7-year-old business plan needed updating;

the area's marketing messages are unclear; and

roles and resources have shifted.

In May, more than 75 downtown stakeholders including property owners, businesses, civic leaders and city officials participated in interviews and workshops to complete the organizational assessment.

The $13,000 study was paid for by the city of Springfield and the groups involved.

Urban Districts Alliance board member Brian Fogle characterizes the issues identified in the study as "growing pains."

"These are issues of success because downtown has developed and has moved forward so well in the last six years that the environment has changed," he said.

"Now what we're trying to figure out is how can we respond to those changes and be effective for the next five to 10 years."