1. List the criteria Robert Gibbs uses to evaluate a Main Street
2. Think critically of Gibbs’ argument. Do you think “Main Street” should be a mall?
3. Make your own checklist to judge a Main Street. What things do you think are important?

1. An ideal main street has a few dominant qualities that make it a good shopping area. First, commerce is your main concern. The beauty of a street is irrelevant if it does not provide a good shopping atmosphere. In order to accomplish this, one must determine if there are any areas that invite loitering. If so, these must be altered or eliminated, because a group of loitering teenagers and such is bad for business. Also, trees, brick paved walkways, and fancy light posts are all nice and pretty, but distract the consumer from the stores and is essentially hurting business. Second, portraying a safe image is important. If a business is not located in a part of town that is generally thought of as safe and appealing than it will not attract as much business as it would in a safer area. Safe areas are generally thought of as clean, well lit, and have security present. Lastly, street design and location are both of the utmost importance. The best streets are said to have numerous turns, so when a consumer looks ahead he sees a row of storefronts. “Location, location, location,” is a popular phrase when referring to the single most important aspect of a business. For the most part, this statement is true, and a few simple rules exist to help one decide on an optimal location. A store that requires a left turn to access it is in a bad place to attract business. Another important aspect of location is surroundings. Clothing stores next to restaurants are found to have worse business than they would next to something else. Lastly, and probably the most important aspect to a successful location is its ease of entry to a customer driving past. Once again, a business should be marketing to those driving on the right side of the street, as they are most capable of parking and entering the business.

2. Main streets should be malls for a couple of reasons. First, just as “riff-raff” scares away customers, so do customers push away “riff-raff”. Prosperous areas are often heavily trafficked and this will cause more money to flow into the area and in turn make the area nicer. This would be beneficial to both businesses and the surrounding area. Secondly, something about a business on a main street downtown is more viscerally appealing than a shop in a mall. Something about the hustle and bustle of downtown make it a more attractive and almost old-fashioned form of shopping.

3. Check list:

- Is it a clean, safe, and well lit area?
- Is the street plain enough that the stores will be the focus of attention?
- Are both sides of the street easily accessible by car and foot?
- Is appropriate parking present?
- In general does it provide a good shopping atomosphere?