The Rehabilitation of a Central Business District: The Richmond (Indiana) Promenade (III)

Abstract

The mall layout in the case of the Richmond Promenade is similar to that of a mall center type of shopping center. Unlike the mall center type of shopping center where the foot traffic is directed by the location of the stores at strategic points in the mall, the flow of shoppers on the Richmond Promenade has been directed to some degree by the creation of the pedestrain mall, the location of parking facilities, and the passage ways to the mall from the parking lots. In order to attract shoppers to the mall area, the city officials were successful in having a major department store locate on the mall. In addition, there are clusterings of similar types of retail establishments which have a tendency to attract people because of their ability to offer various lines, styles, and prices. Unlike the new shopping centers, however, some of the characteristics of the downtown area are retained by the clustering of bank headquarters and other financial institutions as well as non-commercial activities. The improvements through the location of retail establishments, along with other features mentioned in previous papers such as the rerouting of traffic, the additional parking, the renovation of buildings, and the construction of the pedestrain mall, played an important role in attracting shoppers back to the downtown area in Richmond.The Richmond Promenade: A Look BackIt is appropriate at this point to review the development and the implementation of the rehabilitation project of the central business district of Richmond, Indiana. The deteriorating condition of the downtown area was a matter of increasing concern for the merchants in the area, but this condition was not sufficient to motivate the first step toward the re-development. As indicated previously, various possibilities were under consideration for the revitalization of the area by the merchants association. But, the disaster of April 6, 1968 in the downtown area advanced the need for redevelopment to the forefront.The acceptance of the perimeter plan as the overall guide was indicative of the size and the types of changes which were to be undertaken in the redevelopment project. The major goals of this plan were to improve the flow of traffic and increase the parking spaces which, of course, the city government accomplished by rerouting the traffic and the construction of parking lots. The blighted conditions were removed through the renovation of the structurally sound buildings. The pedestrain mall further enhanced the attractiveness of the area. The creation of a pleasant park-like situation on the mall was crucial because without it the mall would merely be a path to move from end to the other.One of the objectives of the rehabilitation project for the downtown area was to enhance its ability to attract potential customers through the availability of a wide range of goods and services. The location of a major department store, partially, fulfilled this goal. Also, the clustering of similar types of retail establishments as well as the specialty shops contribated to the return of customers to the downtown area.