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York, Pennsylvania: Creativity Unleashed
The agricultural and manufacturing area of York, PA, is rich with charm and historical significance, but the townspeople needed to know:
· How to create new business opportunities for a revitalized downtown
· And how to attract visitors, especially the kind that likes to to eat, drink and linger
The charm part was easy. York − population 45,000 in a county of 425,000 − is located in the fertile agricultural region of the Susquehanna Valley in south central Pennsylvania. It's just about an hour north of Baltimore.
The city is steeped in history. Among other features, it was the location of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. York and York County are known as the Factory Tour Capital of the World, featuring tours of such popular factories as Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels and Martin's Potato Chips.
The city's charming downtown, with many historic buildings, makes it a fascinating place to visit. But how could York get people to stay? To find out, York partnered with Destination Development International (DDI) to create a Strategic Downtown York Branding, Development and Marketing Action Plan.
DDI saw the incredible potential in York's burgeoning array of industrial art and design shops and artisans, and developed a step-by-step Action Plan to make York the Mid-Atlantic capital for industrial art and design.
"They drove a stake in the ground and said, 'We own industrial art and design,'" said Roger Brooks, founder and CEO of DDI. "And they're doing just a great job of kicking it off. They're really working hard."
Sonia Huntzinger, executive director of a community group, Downtown Inc, told The York Dispatch recently that she knows changes will take time but said many issues Brooks identified are being addressed quickly as her group lays a solid foundation for this new vision.
More than 60 businesses and individuals already fit the industrial design brand, including Harley Davidson Motorcycles and Family Heirloom Weavers. York is poised to take advantage of the creative educational and industrial fabrication opportunities. Over time, York is expected to become THE place where architects, contractors and interior designers gravitate for amazing steel and glass accents, furnishings, structural elements and commercial art.
Every community needs to have a singular focus to become a thriving destination - that one thing that sets it apart from everyone else. Think high-tech and Silicon Valley. Wine and Napa Valley. Chocolate and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Nashville and country music. Entertainment and Las Vegas. Disney World and Orlando. And now Industrial art and design and York, PA.
Besides being a natural fit for York, this brand direction caters to a younger, well-educated group of people - the Creative Class - who gravitate to vibrant, activity-rich downtowns with loft apartments. York needs to develop the nightlife, gathering places, sidewalk cafes, and street vendors and musicians that appeal to this group.
The Action Plan details the steps York needs to take to make this brand a reality, including the creation of a Market District downtown, a city-wide wayfinding system, clean-up and beautification efforts. As Brooks says, to "earn" this brand, York also needs a recruitment program geared to attracting businesses and people within the industrial art and design industry.
By following the detailed recommendations for the city's 150-year-old Central Market, York will become the city of choice for the Creative Class.
There are thousands of communities across North America that, like York, PA, need to differentiate themselves as destinations that attract both locals and visitors alike. With the Action Plan in hand, York is well on its way to creating a thriving community center with opportunities for business and pleasure, meeting its goal of becoming a hub of activity for the entire region.
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