Allen Park, Rochester, Royal Oak downtowns win awards for thriving through COVID-19 pandemic Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press They beat the pandemic odds against small business. Now they’re getting accolades along with cash prizes. In nationwide contests judging how downtowns big and small not only survived the pandemic, but even thrived through it, metro Detroit has three winners: Allen Park, Rochester and Royal Oak. Each won for playing creative defense against the nationwide shutdown that began March 16 last year. Despite the odds, their marketing bosses found ways to encourage take-out dining and COVID-19-safe shopping. Nationwide, traditional downtowns fared better than strip malls and shopping centers during the past year, said urban experts at the International Downtown Association in Washington, D.C. One reason is that classic downtowns gave virus-wary visitors lots of choices in a dense area. Another is that those areas felt safely familiar to many consumers, especially those who lived nearby. Finally, consumers perceived traditional downtowns as being unlikely to host big, virus-spreading crowds, the experts said.