Abstract:
Twenty-seven years ago Asheville's downtown area was a place where 75 percent of the buildings stood vacant, few people lived, and even fewer went. In 2006, downtown Asheville is an area where people want to live, visit, and spend time and money. The authors describe this remarkable transformation; offer local governments insight into the multifaceted nature of downtown development efforts; describe a model of public leadership within the context of a public-private partnership; and set a general framework for considering the requirements for leading a change initiative.