How many people have traveled every single street in their town?
When I was in Caldwell, Kansas, several people talked about a particular street of run down houses. Then we drove down it. In the first block, my host called out, “When did that building go up?!” And there were more positive surprises down the street. All in all, it wasn’t that bad, and there were lots of possibilities.
But people still thought of it how it used to be in the past. An Every Single Street challenge can help change that thinking by getting people out to see how things are now.
I first heard about it from something Clark Hoskin shared on Twitter: Scott Clark travelled #EverySingleStreet of Cornwall, Canada. “You can observe so much more on foot or by bike,” Scott said.
As soon as I saw it, my brain lit up!
What could we–all of us in small towns–do with an “every single street” project?
You could walk, bike, roll or drive your entire town. It could be just you, you and some friends, or even a town-wide challenge. Invite those local officials to join you. The smaller your town, the easier this is to complete.
Take a lot of pictures. Show the good things, and show the potential to get better. Show us the kind of town you want to become.
Pick your local hashtag, and get out there.
We share even more cool ideas to support your local economy that don’t cost much in our video Cheap Economic Development Ideas.
