Until the middle of the 20th century, downtowns and traditional main streets were the heart of New England communities. After World War II, the advent of the automobile and so much of what came with the motoring life — suburbs, strip malls, parking lots, highways, and increasing sprawl — decimated many of our historic downtowns.

Today, climate change, housing pressures, and rising infrastructure costs have brought Main Street back to the mainstream. Revitalizing downtowns and rallying around Main Street is much more than nostalgia; today’s downtowns provide a practical and in-demand solution for those wishing to reduce their environmental footprint, provide relief for household budgets, and improve everyday quality of life.

In terms of environmental footprint, where we build matters as much or more than how we build. Traditional neighborhoods with a defined center and edge cluster homes, businesses, parks, and more as mixed-use and walkable places. Prioritizing this type of compact development helps conserve the total built human footprint in a region. More forests, farms, wetlands, and coastal habitats can then remain intact, fulfilling their natural function of buffering floods, supporting biodiversity, and so much more.

Reducing overall development footprint in a region by prioritizing compact, walkable downtowns also helps towns and cities right-size their infrastructure. Spreading growth across the landscape requires miles of roads, pipes, drainage systems, and other utilities — all costly to build and maintain. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Business Case for Smart Growth, compact development patterns reduce long-term infrastructure and service costs, increase the return on public investment, and address a growing demand for in-town living. Focusing investment on areas with preexisting infrastructure allows municipalities to more cost-effectively direct resources where they benefit the most people. With tight budgets and aging systems, many Rhode Island communities — and communities across New England — are steering growth toward historic centers and transit corridors, where each dollar of public investment goes further.

Compact downtowns enhance mobility, which improves quality of life, especially for those with limited income or who face barriers to driving or car ownership. When homes, jobs, shops, and services cluster around a traditional Main Street center, driving becomes more a choice than a requirement. Reduction of vehicular trips reduces greenhouse gas emissions and household transportation costs, not to mention freeing up excess time previously spent in a car. Providing an alternative to travel by transit, bicycle, or walking is far more than simply a convenience. Enhanced mobility alternatives offer freedom from the financial burdens of car ownership and enable more connectivity to the outside world. Walking to a bus stop, to pick up a gallon of milk, or to a medical appointment … biking to work … enabling walkability to senior centers … giving kids the option to meet their friends at a café without waiting for their parental chauffeurs — all these options are unlocked when residences and convenient destinations exist within a comfortable walk.

In this context, the details matter a lot. Improvements like tree planting, safer crosswalks, wider sidewalks, narrower streets, and dedicated bicycle lanes provide an impetus to spend time outdoors while also improving access to local goods and services, reinforcing Main Street as a place to enjoy rather than just pass through. Green stormwater infrastructure is a perfect partner to bring nature into the neighborhood. Mature trees, greenways, and green civic parks provide shade, absorb stormwater, and improve aesthetics. Rain gardens and permeable pavement can help filter and absorb stormwater and make our downtowns more sponge-like, reducing polluted runoff into rivers and bays many Rhode Island towns depend on.

Revitalized Main Streets strengthen local economies. A shop or restaurant on a walkable block can draw steady foot traffic from the surrounding neighborhood and nearby transit stops. Arts organizations and cultural groups often find cost-effective new homes in renovated mill buildings and former storefronts, reinforcing local identity. Public and private investment, meanwhile, increasingly responds, with the understanding that strong, walkable downtowns are a key economic strategy tied to local jobs, housing, and quality of life. Encouraging housing downtown, streetscape upgrades, zoning improvements to encourage small businesses such as removal of parking requirements — these techniques and more can help spur Main Street economic growth.

Waterfront districts in Rhode Island and elsewhere in New England present unique challenges and opportunities. Many historic downtowns in the Northeast grew around ports, mills, and rivers, placing them at the intersection of historic preservation and climate risk. Higher tides, stronger storms, and flooding now threaten utilities and public spaces just as communities work to bring people and investment back. Resilience and revitalization must go hand in hand, combining thoughtful design and climate-adaptive strategies to keep these districts active.

Main Streets and the community-building principles that shaped their original character offer many of the answers to today’s challenges. Built for daily life at a human scale, with local identity and shared access at their core, these places already reflect the qualities communities now value: walkability, connection, and efficiency. By combining those proven principles with modern, climate-ready strategies, Rhode Island can keep downtowns active, inclusive, and prepared for the changes ahead. Investing in Main Street is, at its heart, an act of resilience and hope. It strengthens places where people, infrastructure, and the local economy can work together for lasting benefit.

Jon Ford, P.E., is a senior associate with the Horsley Witten Group, Providence.