In 1920, Sinclair Lewis wrote a provocative novel called Main Street.  It’s the story of an ambitious young woman who follows her husband to his fictional home town – a provincial Midwestern community called Gopher Prairie.  She tries to introduce new ideas and a sense of vitality to the townsfolk. But most members of her new community aren’t impressed or persuaded. Gopher Prairie’s Main Street remains unchanged, regressive and sedentary.

Gopher Prairie’s Main Street is fictional but it illustrates the tension between new and old, progress and stagnation. These same forces are part of the life of any community or any Main Street. And this tension is unavoidable. Every Main Street and every downtown is either rising or sinking. We are fortunate to live here during an ascending cycle. As a direct result of thoughtful and dedicated efforts by many business, religious and community leaders, downtown Salt Lake City is on the rise. It hasn’t happened by accident and the momentum won’t continue without the help of our community. 

A quick walk down our Main Street shows dramatic progress at City Creek, new restaurants, sandwich shops, galleries, and a new Joseph A. Banks clothier. Plans are moving forward for a new Performance Center and Utah Theater renovation. The new and improved Gallivan Plaza will be done next month and 222 South Main and the Walker Center continue to attract new corporate offices. Construction on the new $300 million federal courthouse is spurring economic activity on the south side of Main Street as well.

Our downtown transformations aren’t limited to Main Street. Red “donation meters” are popping up around the city – part of a new outreach effort by the Salt Lake City Police Department called HOST. If you feel compelled to give spare change to the homless, put it in a meter where it can be distributed to local service providers. In addition to donation meters, the police are actively approaching panhandlers throughout the downtown area.  If panhandlers need help with housing, food, medical care or other social services, Salt Lake City’s finest are there to help. The goal is directing people in need to the service providers who can help.

We don’t face the challenge of stagnation of Gopher Prairie’s Main Street. Instead, we need to manage our dynamic change in ways that continue to build momentum. To that end, the Alliance is working with City leaders, Visit Salt Lake, and the downtown-based Infinite Scale Design Group to upgrade and expand our way finding system.  We are developing a strategic communication plan to leverage the opening of City Creek Center.  We are supporting Salt Lake City in the launch of new parking pay stations. And we continue to support the concept of a cultural core as expressed by County and City leaders.   

As downtown continues to rise, we need your help, ideas and perspectives to successfully navigate the next few years.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your suggestions at jason@downtownslc.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . In the novel Main Street, nothing significant changed in Gopher Prairie because people were suspicious of new ideas and new ways of looking at the world. To ensure the continued success of our Main Street, we must do the opposite – embracing change and new ideas as together we shape our shared future.