Streetscape Restoration Can Spur Economic Growth

By Rebecca Bachand, RLA, LEED AP

ABOVE & BELOW: The downtown area of Norwood, Mass. was financially unstable before a comprehensive aesthetic and functional streetscape upgrade helped it to flourish. A sign marking the entrance to the downtown area has been partially covered by fast-growing morning glories.

Blighted buildings. Inconvenient access. Twenty-five percent vacancy rate. Such was the picture of downtown Norwood, Mass. in the 1990s. Without easily maneuverable walkways and an overall aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, visitors were scarce, and as more and more businesses left, there was less of a reason for residents to frequent the area.

Recognizing this growing problem, the town of Norwood created an aggressive rejuvenation plan – including a comprehensive streetscape restoration – to turnaround its downtown. In a case of judging a book by its cover, the aesthetic upgrade was key in spurring Norwood’s economic recovery, as was the creation of better signage and access routes for pedestrians.

Although other factors come into play when aiming to increase the traffic to downtown businesses – for instance, the procurement of beer and wine licenses for restaurants – a streetscape restoration is important as it can unify an area and develop a sense of community, “brand” the neighborhood, and beautify and improve pedestrian access to create a destination people want to visit and patronize.

By establishing a historic theme to unify the downtown area, the designers created a welcoming entrance with a period gold-leaf clock tower surrounded by a base of Indiana limestone, (below) setting the tone for the downtown and branding it as historic. Visible borders and “gateways” for a downtown area (see above) are important because they help to create an image and develop a sense of community.

The Look of the Past with an Eye to the Future

The town of Norwood turned to Landscape Architects to design the streetscape restoration. Establishing an historic theme to unify the area, the designers created a welcoming entrance with a period gold-leaf clock tower and signage depicting the town’s historic roots, which set the tone for the downtown and branded it as historic.

Old-style pendant lighting once used in mid-20th century Norwood was also installed in addition to decorative concrete pavers along the sidewalks giving the streets a quaint and unified look.

Intimate seating areas were also interspersed throughout the downtown, augmenting the existing town common and gazebo. Based on renderings of the master plan and initial streetscape improvements, existing local businesses with an eye to the future made million-dollar investments to their buildings. The streetscape plans also drew owners of new restaurants and shops to locate in downtown Norwood.

Seating areas were interspersed throughout the downtown area (above) augmenting the seating in the town common. Designers made the historic theme distinct throughout the downtown using antique style lighting, decorative concrete pavers and pictures from the historical society to wrap electrical boxes (below).

In addition to aesthetics, the designers were charged with creating a more accessible downtown, making it safer for pedestrian travel and encouraging visitors to spend more time there. The easier the route from shop to shop and restaurant to restaurant, the more the downtown businesses would thrive. By shortening cross walks and installing “bump-outs” on wide avenues, as well as adding antique-style benches on sidewalks and in parks in keeping with the historic theme, downtown Norwood became much more attractive for visitors as well as residents looking for a place to shop and dine. Clearly marking public parking areas and providing safe and well-lit routes also added to its attractiveness.

The prospect of such increased foot traffic brought a variety of established businesses – from specialty clothing and home goods stores to white tablecloth restaurants and a theater performing Broadway shows.

Turning a Downtown Around through Streetscape Restoration

The financially unstable downtown Norwood flourished with a comprehensive aesthetic and functional streetscape upgrade. Following are tips for town planners and developers faced with a similar challenge:

• Making an Entrance – Establishing visible borders for a downtown area, including “gateways” as one enters helps to create an image and develop a sense of community among residents and visitors. Prior to the restoration, deciphering where downtown Norwood began and ended was difficult without any signage or streetscape demarcations. Establishing Uniformity – Creating a theme establishes a downtown as a united area of which locals can be proud. Such a theme can be woven throughout various aspects of a downtown’s streetscape – from the entrance and signage to building materials, lighting and seating. In Norwood, designers made the historic theme distinct throughout the downtown using antique-style lighting, decorative concrete pavers, and pictures obtained from the historical society to wrap electrical boxes. To further unify the area, designers obtained the exact stone featured in the town hall and other downtown buildings to build new structures. The Town of Norwood also developed and secured a sign and façade grant for local businesses to join the effort and make their signage and storefronts more uniform in shape and color. Walking the Walk – The key to the commercial success of any downtown area is easy vehicular and pedestrian access. Add more well-defined cross walks and shorten existing ones with bump-outs and refuge islands to ease pedestrian travel. Upgrade to and maintain the codes of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As safe and easy pedestrian access is increased, visitors are more likely to frequent the area, leading to more successful businesses and economic growth. Lighting Up – Town planners and designers must also consider adequate light sources to illuminate walkways leading to and from parking lots and between shops and restaurants to create a safer environment for visitors as well as shop owners, restaurant wait staff, and other night shift employees. Additional lighting can help transform a downtown area into a popular nightspot.
• Planning Makes Perfect – A downtown’s streetscape restoration is a large undertaking that should be planned carefully and with all relevant community members on board. Working with a designer with extensive graphics capabilities allows these groups to see all possible design elements laid out in a realistic representation and assists all parties in making informed choices on every aspect of the restoration. Geller DeVellis, Inc. created photo simulations for the town of Norwood to showcase various options for everything from the antique-style lighting to various placement options for the entrance street clock, and for limits and patterns of the concrete pavers. These realistic images facilitated the decisions of the town of Norwood’s Downtown Steering Committee – made up of local merchants, selectmen and the town planner – on appropriate design elements and expedited necessary sign-offs. After realizing a final plan, the town planner organized multiple public meetings to present the plan to the local business community for final input.

Easy pedestrian access is vital to every downtown area. In Norwood, well-defined cross walks with bump-outs and refuge islands were installed to ease pedestrian travel. Safe and well-lit routes added to the attractiveness of the city and also increased foot traffic, which brought a variety of established businesses to the area —everything from specialty clothing stores to a theatre performing Broadway shows now line the streets of Norwood.

Proof is in the Pudding

With the success of downtown Norwood’s initial streetscape restoration, the town underwent construction of phase two — a $1.38 million project to design streetscape improvements to another main downtown street and intersecting side streets, also linking public parking areas. To unite this area with the first phase, the designers planned for the same antique-style lighting, decorative concrete pavers, as well as a new park, and a four-sided clock tower to serve as a grand gateway to the town.

Planning a streetscape restoration is a large undertaking that must be planned carefully. Geller DeVellis created photo simulations for the town to showcase various options for everything from the lighting to placement options for the clock tower, and as seen here, for the limits and patterns of the concrete pavers. The photo above shows the existing sidewalk in Norwood before the streetscape renovation. The photo below illustrates how the sidewalk would look after pavers were installed.

What once was a struggling area of downtown Norwood is now the bright spot of the town. A vibrant cultural center, downtown Norwood offers an entire day or night full of shopping, dining and entertainment options. A quaint 150-seat restaurant now thrives where an old, blighted department store stood vacant for years. A trendy coffee shop with live entertainment replaces a vacant hardware store. Popular Irish pubs, a performing arts theater, and a bowling alley line the newly restored historic streets. With one dollar of public money spent for every five dollars of private money invested, downtown Norwood continues to grow.

Economic stimulation of a downtown area can certainly result from a variety of efforts. However, few would argue the strong role the outward appearance of an area plays in attracting and retaining quality businesses, visitors and residents. Without an attractive streetscape, a unified look, and convenient access, the success of downtown businesses can be in jeopardy. By working with a Landscape Architect who can help plan attractive street and park layouts, as well as lighting and seating to support a unified theme, and create a graphic representation of these options, a town planner can go a long way in spurring the economic growth of a downtown area through streetscape restoration.

This photograph of Hartshorn’s Market in Norwood was taken around 1920. Behind it are the United Church of Norwood and St. Catherine's Church - both are still standing. From 1872-1922, industry replaced agriculture as the economic base of the community.

Roots of Industry

The earliest European settlers of what eventually became the town of Norwood arrived from Dedham in the late 17th century. The attraction was the swift moving Neponset River in present day south Norwood near the east Walpole line.

On February 13, 1872 Norwood became a town of Norfolk County when the Act of Incorporation was approved by the General Court. At that time, 1,825 people, almost exclusively Anglo/Saxon Protestant, lived within its area of 10.48 square miles. Spurred by its status as a separate town, Norwood was launched into a growth pattern. Between the years 1872 and 1922, industry replaced agriculture as the economic base of the community. Many of Norwood’s industries were world-famous for their products. Several of these old industries have since dissolved or moved out but others have survived and prospered.