We are Northampton residents and downtown businesses (52 and growing!) who want a Main Street designed for the 21st century. 

We are renters and owners, business owners and employees, urban design professionals, engineers, landscape architects, bicycle advocates, disability rights advocates, youth advocates, climate activists, car drivers and cyclists, elderly users of downtown, parents, and children. 

We believe Main Street must be accessible for everyone! 

That means improved accessibility, better parking management, and a safer design for people coming by car, bus, bike, or on foot.

That’s why we call for wider sidewalks, a dedicated bike path, a switch to parallel parking, and a continuous tree canopy. 

More space for people and trees means more space for accessibility features, outdoor dining, sidewalk sales, bus boarding areas, tree canopy, and civic life.

Here is what professional urban planners have found:

Inviting and beautiful:  People are drawn to downtowns with attractive outdoor space with wide sidewalks, a continuous planting of trees, and a sense of removal from vehicle traffic.

Prosperous: Shopping areas flourish where people outnumber cars. While some parking on Main Street must be preserved for non-walkers, deliveries and quick errands, most parking should instead be conveniently nearby. 

Easy to navigate and safe: Narrower intersections, protected bike lanes, full accessibility to wheelchairs, and highest visibility for vehicles pulling out from parking spaces are the features that welcome everyone and minimize accidents. 

Forward-looking: Climate change is bringing heat and storms. A continuous canopy of trees lowers urban temperatures by 5-15 degrees. Trees also mitigate tailpipe emissions and help absorb storm runoff. And a vibrant civic hub is the best answer to the depersonalization of online shopping.

We need a safer, greener, fairer, economically strong Main Street, a beautifully designed hub of commerce and community for all. 

Please sign. 

Attend the June 24th, 6:00pm Picture Main Street public forum (zoom link here) and speak in support of our design recommendations.

Learn more about Main Street for Everyone at mainst4everyone.org