Over the course of the last eight years of traveling to districts across the country, I’ve become more mesmerized by the level of negative impact our communities allow to be communicated through visible cleaning issues present in our downtowns. I’m even more engrossed with the messages that are allowed to be communicated by our downtowns.

Identified cleaning issues tell the world vast stories about our American cities – where they are and where they’ve been – but more importantly they tell stories of where they are going. Cleaning issues, such as litter, graffiti, abandoned news racks, and neglected infrastructure are open books that tell the complete stories of cities, leadership of the cities, and where the district is headed.

Savvy developers don’t need to see a Target or a Whole Foods; what they do need to see is a district that seems to have its priorities straight in respect to litter, weeds, graffiti and other details that support a positive district experience.  While your district may have holes in the retail mix and your fair share of creative window coverings to block the pedestrians ability to see the shell of the store from the front window, a clean district will communicate that everyone in your district and city is committed to creating the right environment.

Every district and city is tight on resources; but if you have only one arrow in your quiver today, make graffiti you’re number one target. If you want to run off a qualified developer (yes, some still do have financing!) in a New York minute, leave the graffiti on your public infrastructure. If you want to make sure they write you off for good, make sure your graffiti is allowed to fester on building facades. Nothing screams “buyer beware” more than tagged brick or masonry.

If you’re ready to learn more about how to further prioritize your available resources, we’re always up for a good challenge!

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Blair McBride is the Executive Vice President of Block by Block and has designed safety and cleaning programs for more than 25 BIDs of all sizes across the country. Blair can be reached at bmcbride@blockbyblock.com.