The “broken window theory” centers around the strategy that says to prevent vandalism, fix problems when they are small.

If a window is broken and not repaired in a timely manner, vandals are more likely to break additional windows, paint graffiti, or commit other crimes against that property or neighboring properties. If someone litters on a sidewalk and it is not cleaned that day, people will be more likely to throw their own trash there as well.

This theory has been discussed ad nauseam by current Lewiston Mayor Laurent Gilbert, particularly when he rolled out his strategy to have local police ramp up enforcement of litter laws. While championing a clean and attractive city is a laudable goal, using the threat of monetary fines and brightly colored trash bins may not be the ideal solution.

And of course, to offer a solution, you first must know your problem. The broken window theory ponders a means to an end; keep up on litter, and you can deter vandals and petty crimes. It’s a law enforcement theory.

I suggest we make it an economic development theory. In particular, a downtown redevelopment theory.

On Lincoln Street in Lewiston, between Cedar and Main streets, there are wide, brick sidewalks, attractive street lighting and park benches and renovated mill space home to businesses and shops. The building facades are well cared for, the sidewalks and grounds are maintained to a very high standard, and signs designating various businesses are not imposing, but blend with the surrounding urban landscape.

There is economic vitality in that area.

Further down Lincoln Street, between Locust and Cedar streets, is quite different. The sidewalks are narrow and made of asphalt, the street lighting is poor and the area is dominated by century-old tenements. Some of the facades are cared for, others completely neglected. The sidewalks are often too narrow for more than two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder; the occasional phone pole placed directly in the center is not very inviting.

There is economic stagnation in that area.

Auburn offers similar examples. Main Street, from Court to Elm streets, has a new streetscape with attractive sidewalks separated from the road by a grass esplanade. Many of the buildings have seen investment in façade improvements and shops and businesses call the corridor home.

Continue on Main Street passed Academy Street into New Auburn and Mill Street, however, and it changes. The road is wide, with poorly signed crosswalks leaving traffic to travel at a higher speed. The once mural-lined retaining wall sits peeling along the side of the street. (There are plans to repaint it.)

Many apartment buildings and storefronts are partially vacant and in various stages of neglect. Many lawns remain overgrown through the summer, and trash and debris seem to accumulate in some places.

Again, there is economic stagnation.

While numerous factors play into the differences between Little Canada and New Auburn’s economic condition, and that of the Lincoln Street/Bates Mill area and Main Street in Auburn, public and private investments and an eye towards aesthetics clearly plays a role.

We can have sidewalks free of trash and windows that are unbroken, but if those sidewalks are too narrow to walk on and the street lighting too poor to be safe, will investors take interest in that area of downtown? Not likely.

If property owners don’t see fit to mow their lawns and maintain their buildings, would an investor take an interest abutting buildings? And for those who do invest, will they see their maximum possible return if the building next door is decaying? Not likely.

It is not news that certain neighborhoods in Lewiston-Auburn struggle to get real private investment and whose demographics, and this economy, make that possibility a long-term challenge.

But there is a silver lining.

Auburn staff have committed to developing a New Auburn Master Plan that will engage residents to take ownership in finding solutions. Lewiston should do the same with Little Canada.

And perhaps, with residents and property owners engaged in caring for how their neighborhood looks, the potential for a livable downtown can finally be realized through applying a new twist on the old broken window theory.

Jonathan LaBonte, of New Auburn, is a columnist for the Sun Journal and an Androscoggin County Commissioner. E-mail: [email protected].