What We Learned at the 2025 Main Street Now Conference

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Put this conference on your list!

NDC Staffer Maura Dwyer attended the 2025 Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia. During the course of the conference she attended panels and went on a field trip to Philly’s Magic Garden of Mosaics.

From community ownership to public space design, one theme stood out: dignity must be at the core of planning.
Traditional funding structures (like reimbursement-based grants) can exclude grassroots orgs—innovative models like District Bridges’ local loan pool are bridging that gap.
Public space should welcome everyone—including unhoused neighbors.
Trauma-informed, inclusive design, supported by creative engagement methods like Place It!, can reshape planning processes to center lived experience.
Murals? They’re more than art—they’re jobs, pride, and public memory. Let’s treat them like civic infrastructure.

It’s time to move from managing spaces to co-creating belonging.