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Main Street Reimagined

About the Project and Handbook

Main streets are important economic, social and cultural centres integral to the success and character of communities across the country, but have faced many challenges in recent years, including changing retail habits, increasing tax rates and rents, low profit margins, social issues, and the impacts of COVID-19.

A team from the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research at the Ted Rogers School of Management, led by Dr. Walter Jamieson and Dr. Tom Griffin, created the Main Street Reimagined Through a Visitor Lens Handbook to explore and provide evidence-based perspectives on the role of the visitor economy in the planning, design and management of main street areas. 

This handbook is designed to provide main street coordinators, committees and planners with visitor economy related concepts and directions that are user-friendly, strategic and tactical. It includes contributions from a range of professionals and experts in tourism development, destination marketing, research and strategy, and economic development. 

For more information, questions, or suggestions, please contact us at walter.jamieson@torontomu.ca or tom.griffin@torontomu.ca.

A planning, design, economic and regeneration handbook

Main Street Reimagined handbook cover
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Creating a Fabulous Sidewalk

Monday, May 2, 2022 webinar

How can Data Help a Main Street?

Monday, April 11, 2022 webinar

Visitor Led Main Street Strategies: Marketing to Visitors

Monday, March 28, 2022 webinar

Visitor Led Main Street Strategies: Curating Main Street

Monday, Mar 7, 2022 webinar

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Every main street, whether it realizes it or not, is or can be part of the visitor economy