176 [S3E23]: Downtown Bloomington Inc. and the 40-Year Revitalization of the City Core

Forty years ago, Bloomington's downtown was all but over. Half of the land had been cleared for parking lots to compete with auto-centric development at College Mall and other places on the outskirts of the city. A coalition of downtown businesses assembled to try to reverse the trend. As a result, Bloomington is one of the few cities in the state that saved its downtown, through the rehabilitation of many historic buildings. And, to give the community civic meeting space, an old car dealership was converted to a convention center. Our guests today are from Downtown Bloomington Inc, a sort of chamber of commerce devoted to revitalizing the city's core. DBI also has a contract with the county to run the Monroe Convention Center. We talk with Talisha Coppock, DBI's executive director since 1987 and director of the Monroe Convention Center, and Jim Doering, president of the DBI board of directors. Support the showA production of Plateia Media ©2024-5. All rights reserved.