2009 - Main Street Approach and Coordinating Programs

The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) and its Project Team (including F. LeBlanc) provided Saskatchewan Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport (STPCS) with this review of the Main Street Approach and Coordinating Programs.

The Main Street Approach differs from typical community and economic development endeavours because it uses ‘heritage’ (in its broadest sense) as a tool for economic development. Main Street was one of the Heritage Canada Foundation’s pioneering national programs to help citizens take responsibility for the future of their communities and their heritage. Recognizing that many heritage buildings are located in our traditional downtowns, the Heritage Canada Foundation started the Main Street Canada
program in 1979 with the goal of revitalizing Canadian downtowns.

This report documents the history of the Main Street Approach in Canada, defines and illustrates the application of the 4-Point Approach, and reviews a range of Coordinating Programs in Canada, the United States and abroad.

It provides information about the results achieved through the Main Street Approach, including the Ratio of Reinvestment into the Community reported by a range of Coordinating Programs.

[click] Main Street: Past and Present, March 2009