News from the Top: A Public Policy Landscape for Downtowns

Tami Door, President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership serves as Chair of the International Downtown Association’s (IDA) Board of Directors. Tami offers her expertise in city building to members of IDA in her monthly News from the Top column.

Perhaps more than any one industry outside of the public sector, we know that public policy has great impact on our cities and how we drive progress in our work. We know that key to the success of our urban core is a policy landscape that ensures a well-connected, economically vital city.

Each of us has different governmental structures, agreements, and processes to navigate when it comes to policy issues. But, there are ways we can all – regardless of the framework in which we work – can ensure a policy landscape that promotes resilient, strong cities and districts:

• Build strong relationships: scheduling regular meetings with key leaders in your municipality ensures that both parties are well-informed and connected to one another’s goals and priorities;
• Collaborate: like in so many aspects of our work, collaboration with partners across sectors is key;
• Develop your own policy priorities and values: make sure that you, your team, and your board have clarity on what you stand for;
• Keep your stakeholders well-informed and
• Tap your IDA network: while intricacies of policy landscapes and the governmental structures behind them may differ from city to city, we all have experiences and expertise to offer one another. Be sure to use your IDA network for resources and advice.

How are you leading your organization in navigating your public policy and advocacy? Let’s continue to use IDA as a platform to collaborate and compare notes as we work toward ensuring our respective policy landscapes are supporting our work to build great cities and districts.