Provided herein are methods of treating a cardiomyopathy in a subject by administering directly to, or expressing locally in, a weakened, ischemic, and/or peri-infarct region of myocardial tissue of the subject an amount of SDF-1 effective to cause functional improvement in at least one of the following parameters: left ventricular volume, left ventricular area, left ventricular dimension, cardiac function, 6-minute walk test, or New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification. Also provided are methods of treating critical limb ischemia in a subject by administering a DNA plasmid encoding human SDF-1 by direct injection into the affected limb.