Are you looking for fun and creative ways to improve local pride, promote sustainability, and attract businesses? Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination:

1. Clean up. Work with local citizen groups and nonprofit organizations to participate in a community-wide clean-up party. This is an easy way to engage your community and clean up those troublesome areas (via Care2).
2. Community gardens. A 2015 Food Systems Survey conducted by ICMA and the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems indicates that 73% of local governments surveyed provide some type of food support. A community garden is one way to support your local food systems and fix up neglected lots. Learn more about the impacts of community gardens in this ICMA blog post.
3. Fight blight. While not always easy, communities across the country are finding engaging ways to fight local blight. In Mobile, Alabama, they used Instagram to help identify and address blight. Read this ICMA blog post to discover other innovative ways communities are fighting blight.
4. Recycle. Recycling is not something new, but in recent years it’s becoming more costly for local governments to have recycling programs. Here are 7 ideas to help you adapt to the new economics of recycling.
5. Art. Are there artists or an art society in your community? Any easy way to highlight the character of your community is to give free space for these artists to showcase their talents. Cedar Park, Texas, a 2015 Local Government Excellence Award nominee, created a local sculpture garden as a cost-effective solution to bring art to its community.

Check out Episode 3-Reininvigorating Downtown of ICMA’s podcast, Local Gov Life, to listen to three local leaders talk about the innovative programs they used to breathe life back into their downtown.  Make sure you subscribe and rate the podcast on iTunes.