still, even without a benefactor, towns can get the ball rolling with a fairly typical incentive instrument called tax increment financing. “this is a way to use future tax revenues as a way to put money up on the front end to get projects going,” says feehan. whether it’s from an individual or the government, this up-front money is vital, he says. “just about all of these revitalization efforts started with some sort of subsidy.”

once downtown revitalizations are started, businesspeople find that getting involved can be lucrative as well as helpful. “the wonderful truth about this is you can make money doing good things,” he says. “in town after town, hardheaded businesspeople are making money by investing in the revitalization of downtowns.”