I don't know anything about the Raleigh project but some other thoughts on maybe why Church St works: - Burlington is the biggest city in VT, and being on Lake

I don't know anything about the Raleigh project but some other thoughts on maybe why Church St works: - Burlington is the biggest city in VT, and being on Lake Champlain and relatively close to the best ski areas in the state, it attracts a lot of tourists year round - A ton of local businesses downtown, urban/residential neighborhoods are also very close - A fair amount of parking (multiple parking garages, nearby on-street parking and parking lots) - There's City Hall Park, and the town promotes the 'culture', e.g. allowing street vendors and performers, and with the recentish ban on smoking, it's pushed most of the bums into the alleys/side streets