Downtown Mathis, once the center of life in Mathis, seems about ready to just blow away. Downtowns are being revived all across America. What about our little downtown? Could it be revived?
This downtown will not be revived on its own. Both citizens, elected officials, and appointed officials will have to get involved. There are ways to make Mathis’ downtown come alive again. There will be a price to pay (and not just in dollars), but the return on investment could be much more than what is put in (again, in much more than just dollars—but likely much more than 100% return in dollars).
The graphic below shows a hypothetical revival of a downtown not too dissimilar to that of Mathis. This could happen to Mathis! The tabs above lay out some of the elements that must be addressed for this transformation to take place. The great news for Mathis is that its downtown has some great bones to build on. Yes, there has been decay, but key elements for walkability remain in place. This downtown can be revived. It still has a pulse—a pulse that can be a very strong heart pumping life into all of Mathis.
