Downtown Allentown was cited as a success story in a new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) that examines the abilities of smaller communities to leverage their strengths and position themselves as attractive places to live, work and invest. Reaching for the Future: Creative Finance for Smaller Communities highlights examples of leadership in urban and suburban communities that demonstrate the use of innovative partnerships and financing to gain a competitive edge.

The owners of two wildly successful Lehigh Valley restaurants, grain. and The Bayou, announced today that they will open a barbecue restaurant and bar in the space formerly occupied by Shula’s Steak House at the corner of Seventh Street and the ArtsWalk at City Center. The yet-to-be-named restaurant, which will offer dine-in and carry-out options, will open in August 2016.

Both millennials and baby boomers are drawn to the lifestyle of urban living, according to a recent article in Lehigh Valley Business. The lure of city living for these two demographic groups has been growing over the last decade and a half in cities across the nation, and now its pull is being experienced in the Lehigh Valley.

The Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA) recently approved new development plans for the world-class Five City Center Innovation Tower and its state-of-the-art campus just off Center Square in Downtown Allentown.

It was a big night for the City Center Lehigh Valley creative team last Friday at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Advertising Federation‘s annual American Advertising Awards ceremony. They took home several ADDY awards for creative achievement that evening, including this year’s top award for CENTRO’s Cross-Platform Integrated Brand Identity Campaign. City Center’s creative team is led by Jane Heft, vice president and director of project design and corporate branding.