Guest Book

_______________________ 

FRIENDS, JOIN US, TODAY, SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE FOUNDATION, BY HONORING THE DEDICATION & ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF YOUR LEADERS WITH A PLACE ON THE NATIONAL HALL OF FAME PAGE & PLACQUE.   Please go to the Friends page, now.     This page underwritten by Ruth Anderson. "After all, we are what we believe when we give, and nothing more." Dr. Marshall Thomas '00 Address

__________________________________________

ONE-TIME PRODUCTS & SERVICES FOR NEW MEMBERS, UPDATED FOR THE NEW FISCAL YEAR, BEGINNING 1 January, 2009

421 DESTINATION DISTRICTS*, and counting -  One destination district profile per guest avialble: $175 (U.S.) donation. Please visit the DISTRICTS PAGE to learn about the locations of planned, emerging, and premier arts, design and cultural districts in all their 13 varieties. Learn what gives meaning to districts, what the experts consider 'The Essential District Contact Checklist' and the importance of the Wecome Packet tool. Grab the insider insights of top developers as they list "The Identified Potential Users for Arts-Design-Cultural Places" and a vital view as to "Why Communities Respond to Arts-Design-Cultural Corridor Developments." We scour the continent every month for the world's great destination districts.

* We coined the term back in 2006 to help our Member clients raise awareness in political and advocacy circles

VITAL STATISTICS - One general, broad-based Study Data Report available to our guests: $350 (U.S.) donation. What are the notable impacts of districts in our regional centers? What makes for a successful community? Please visit the STATISTICS PAGE, with links to dozens of reports and briefs that show important statistical views to the answers we've culled from our databank service providers. By way of example, the thumbnail brief, below, provides a recent set of foundation study outcomes: Where you find one or more successful arts-design-cultural district, you are likely to see exciting corollaries - for it has been determined that destination districts contribute, often meaningfully, to the following:

• 35 of the top 50 (70.0%) top-ranked U.S. MSAs;
• 48 of the top 50 (96.0%) largest U.S. MSAs;
• 19 of the top 30 (63.3%) fastest-growing U.S. MSAs;
• 15 of the top 30 (50.0%) U.S. MSAs with the highest growth rate;
• 12 of the top 30 (40.0%) U.S. MSAs with the lowest unemployment rate;
• 12 of the top 30 (40.0%) U.S. MSAs with the highest recent job growth;
• 20 of the top 30 (66.6%) U.S. MSAs with the best future job outlook;
• 18 of the top 30 (60.0%) U.S. MSAs with the highest financial progress index;
• 17 of the top 30 (56.7%) U.S. MSAs with the highest high school graduation rate;
• 21 of the top 30 (70.0%) U.S. MSAs with the highest attainment of both college & graduate degrees;
• 15 of the top 30 (50.0%) U.S. MSAs with the greatest decrease in property crime rate;
• 10 of the top 10 (100.0%) U.S. MSAs rated as America's most literate cities;
• 26 of the top 30 (86.7%) U.S. MSAs with highly rated childrens museums;
• 29 of the top 30 (96.7%) U.S. MSAs with highly rated art museums;  
• 38 of the top 50 (76.0%) of  U.S. MSAs with the highest quality of life rating;
• 39 of the top 50 (78.0%) MSAs with the best cultural amenities; and,
• 177 of 331 major MSAs (53.5%) U.S.  emerging & top-rated  MSAs that promote & support destination districts
• Updates in progress; complete free report available only to Members - Summer 2007.

TEXTS - (Note: No Guest access; only the documents listed on the Welcome Page available to Guests free of charge; please contact our affiliates, Z Publishing and ARTS ANSWERS for a catalog and prices for single and multiple copies of books, white papers, reports, lecture transcripts, studies.) Please visit the Treasury Page to find in-house periodicals, white papers, workshop guides, roundtable texts, and more written materials devoted solely to arts, design and cultural district planning and development, auditing and management. And, everyone can visit our LEXICON PAGE to learn the useful and technical terms and phrases often found in district development documents and study papers - without clear meanings, many destination districts never get so much as a public hearing let alone a meeting or the first shovel of dirt thrown.

CAPITAL - Members may only order one study, review or plan: one-time donations run between $525 - 700 (U.S.).  Please go to our DISTRICT CAPITAL PAGE. There, you will find essential access checklists, and program information that can lead to Member advisory services, as follow for all varieties of arts-design-cultural districts: Permanent Commercial Loans in MxD districts; Condominium Checklist for MxD districts; Condominium Conversion Loans for MxD districts; Small Balance Loans for all districts; Bridge Loans for many districts; and, Assisted Living Loans for MxDs. A complete listing of restricitions, prohibitions and preferred programs is outlined. As an advisor to financiers in the real estate re-development industry, our unique operating foundation acts as a financial intermediary advisor and consultant for its many clients and capital market partners and associates.

FINANCIAL SERVICES - Members may order one preliminary plan or one review; one-time donations run between $350 - 525 (U.S.). Please visit our Financial Services Page to learn about our tailored strategic planning, general district business and financial management advisory services. We are responsible for advisories on marketing, sourcing, analyzing, structuring and closing destination district revitalization financing transactions using a variety of affiliate and outside funding programs.

ACCESS - Guests may order up to ten sample briefs to help them with planning, designing, or developing their downtown destination district; copies of available briefs run between $25- 30 per document. Go to our RESOURCES/ INSIGHTS PAGE for access to a bevvy of Current Project Briefs, The Tri-Annual Evaluation Guide for N.A. Arts-Design-Cultural Districts, and the special report - Conditions That Make It Possible for Urban Areas to Invent Arts-Design-Cultural Developments.

FREE CONSULTATION - Guests may ask any pair of questions; however, because of time constraints, the staff can only devote up to two billable hours of advisory time to address Guest issues; a $350 (U.S.) value. Your initial online advisory project question is quickly answered via e-mail or fax by our Executive Director Emeritus, Dr. Marshall Thomas. A brief telephone follow-up session can answer a specific question or clarify points made in the initial e-mail response. Gain from our perspective and understanding. Please visit the Consultations & Advisories Page and the Case Statement Page for training and instructional opportunities.

PLANS & SUMMARIES - Guests may only purchase Preliminary Business Planning Services; one-time donation runs $850. Business Planning Advisory Services for progressive commercial developers and hospitality professionals working in arts clusters, superblocks and arts corridors; Mission Planning Advisory Services for nonprofit agencies, studios and institutions looking to cooperate with arts or cultural corridor planners and developers, funding sources and managers; Performance Indicators for local, county, and state governments; and, tailored Qualitative Reports for artists and studios. Please go to the Financial Advisory Services Page.

FAVOURITE LINKS - Free to our Guests; Please be our Guest and visit this nearly comprehensive view of destination districts and district observers, practitioners and critical sources, agencies and international advocacy organizations...

POLL -  Dear Guests, please vote - every vote counts toward the discounted fees and prices we charge both our Guests and Members; there is never a charge for participating in our poll - enter as often as you like. Last season, we enjoyed hundreds of reasons why destination district advocates and sponsors are participating in current training programs and advisory projects. We are off to a great start, again, this season. Vote daily, if it suits you. We learn a lot about motivations, leadership and identity issues with every poll answer. You also get to review all the comments made by others as a bonus just for entering a vote or for placing both a vote and a comment on the POLL PAGE. Your choice. Thanks