Better Block By The Numbers
- Admin
- Jul 30, 2013
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 30, 2019
Just how fast can a blighted block be revitalized? Some cities are doing it in days, not years according to a survey recently conducted by Team Better Block Intern Ashton McDonald of Cornell University. The survey asked Better Block project leaders in seven cities how their efforts advanced revitalization.
Norfolk VA Better Block resulted in sale of a building, two new leases and zoning ordinance changes to promote growth.
The Better Block approach to revitalization begins with temporarily transforming a single block into vibrant destination that illustrates the potential for new business, safer streets and improved livability. Built with community talent and resources over a weekend, the result is a vision for an authentic place and the momentum needed to make it happen permanently.
Dating from 2010 to 2013, the projects surveyed represent cities from 600,000 to towns of less than 10,000. All of them are at different stages of redeveloping into more livable places, but all reported positive outcomes within days of the Better Block. Most notably the demonstration projects are bringing investors with their checkbooks. Within days after a project was completed in Norfolk, VA, REALTOR Patrick McGill of CBRE, announced a 15,000 sqft building,that had been on the market for years, sold for $1.1 million. Investment doesn’t end after the dust has settled. Memphis, where an estimated 13,000 people visited the Better Block, approximately $8 million in new investment has occurred.
Half of our respondents indicated that economic development was their primary goal. They were successful. 100% of the projects surveyed revealed overall increased sales revenue. Some businesses in St. Joseph, MO; Brownsville, TX; and Norfolk, VA reported the highest sales numbers they had seen since they opened while 80% reported increased sales revenue even after the project.
Perhaps most importantly, 71% of these projects have helped change, or are in the process of changing, city ordinances that allow for more complete streets and neighborhoods. For example, Duncan, SC project leaders say Better Block set the stage to draft pedestrian overlay zoning that would make it easier and safer to get around on foot.
Rapid change is possible in our cities, when citizens are leading the way and responsive governments take notice, sanction these projects and use the momentum to make permanent change. The How-To manual for urban revitalization is being rewritten, co-authored by everyday individuals and the urban specialist! Want to tell us about your city’s Better Block? Email us at info@TeamBetterBlock.com.
For more information, view the full case studies report
Download (PDF, 781KB)Next, we will discuss the keys to having a better block that builds momentum for change.
The investment figures are impressive, but I keep coming back to the idea that the “product” here is confidence — people believing a neglected block can be pleasant and safe. I’d love to see a follow-up on what design choices were most repeatable across cities versus what was totally local. On a lighter note, the before/after contrast almost reads like switching to a different palette in your head — kind of like how StyleLookLab talks about nudging perception with small changes, except here it’s sidewalks and storefronts instead of outfits.
The “days, not years” framing is compelling, but I’d be interested in the less flashy part: what it costs to maintain the gains once the temporary installs come down. If a block needs repeated activations to keep attention, that changes how a city should budget and staff it. Speaking of temporary transformations, I once saw a photo turned into a quick ghibli ai style and it made me think about how much perception can shift with a small, fast tweak — obviously different context, but similar psychology.
I like that the post treats the temporary build-out as a way to make the “future” legible — it’s hard to argue with a block that people are actively using. The Memphis visitor number especially makes me wonder what the programming looked like, since foot traffic doesn’t appear out of nowhere. Slight aside: the broader ecosystem of cataloging “what works” across cities reminds me of hrefgo , but in urbanism the context differences are the tricky part.
Seeing investors show up “within days” is wild — it suggests the demo acts like a proof-of-concept that de-risks the block for people who were on the fence. I’d love to know if any of these projects tracked what specific elements moved the needle most (traffic calming? temporary retail? programming?). The whole idea of testing assumptions quickly feels a bit like doing a sanity-check with an online Vigenère cipher tool , where you can validate the input/output fast before committing to anything bigger.
The numbers here make a strong case that quick, visible change can unlock investment faster than years of planning docs. I keep wondering what gets measured less often — like whether residents still feel ownership six months later, after the weekend energy fades. Totally random tangent: the “beat your old score” vibe of iterating these blocks reminds me of BlockBlast , except the stakes are obviously real streets and real people.