Should Dayton Just Go Crazy and Start Experimenting? (Cleveland, Hamilton: city hall, lofts)

[GemCityWatcher]

I just feel like if the city was far more willing to totally get rid of any type of traditional conservative politically correct way of doing things and just start experimenting with everyone....it could catch on. Young people like myself want a good music scene, good nightlife, an exploding arts scene that isn't ran by a bunch of baby boomers who have no idea what this generation likes, and tech friendly gathering places that are super chill.

The young people that wanna live downtown could give two f's about the riverfront tbh. It has absolutely no impact or strong interest to the core audience of YUPs and city kids. I just think the city is trying too hard to imitate what has worked in other places but it has absolutely no real connection with what young people actually wanna do and where they wanna be in DAYTON. There is absolutely nothing dope about what the city is doing right now. I mean I get housing....but I just feel like the city will have a better image if it was far more driven based on college students living downtown, young artists, socialite scene, arts etc.

Dayton isn't big enough to draw huge numbers in because of sports and outdoor activities. And those venues are really limited bc they draw in suburbanites that want something different to do but they leave by 8pm. If this city really wants vitality shouldn't it be drawing in people that are going to be 24 hour participants? aka....young people who work, play, party, and are into socializing.

I just don't get all the investment in **** that just keeps bringing the same people downtown for four hours maybe and a select group of empty nesters who want to even live in an urban place.

[Natural510]

I agree wholeheartedly, but at the same time that kind of thing has to grow organically and goes beyond what a city gov't can do. More people downtown, especially young people, will create the demand for restaurants, bars, a gym, a grocery store, etc where up to now what is there has bet on drawing those 9-5ers or people from the suburbs to come downtown. That 24-hour lifestyle only works when people are already living in an area, so the most the city can do is support housing and bet the businesses catering to that downtown population follows.
I'm from Oakland, and our downtown was completely desolate in the 1980s & 90s. Then Jerry Brown became mayor, making bringing 10k residents downtown the primary focus of his regime. It worked, and now there are bars, restaurants, galleries, theaters and a Whole Foods to cater to all those people living in new condos and converted warehouses in neighborhoods which used to be hot drug corners. But those businesses won't take the risk to open and hope people come to support it, you have to bring the people in first to create the demand...and it's a process. Of course, it doesn't hurt for Oakland to be next to SF, but the Dayton plan is still a good one...and it does need to protect what's already there, like Garden Station.

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by GemCityWatcher

The young people that wanna live downtown could give two f's about the riverfront tbh. It has absolutely no impact or strong interest to the core audience of YUPs and city kids. I just think the city is trying too hard to imitate what has worked in other places but it has absolutely no real connection with what young people actually wanna do and where they wanna be in DAYTON. There is absolutely nothing dope about what the city is doing right now. I mean I get housing....but I just feel like the city will have a better image if it was far more driven based on college students living downtown, young artists, socialite scene, arts etc.

Dayton isn't big enough to draw huge numbers in because of sports and outdoor activities. And those venues are really limited bc they draw in suburbanites that want something different to do but they leave by 8pm. If this city really wants vitality shouldn't it be drawing in people that are going to be 24 hour participants? aka....young people who work, play, party, and are into socializing.

I just don't get all the investment in **** that just keeps bringing the same people downtown for four hours maybe and a select group of empty nesters who want to even live in an urban place.

We've glanced on this issue in a couple other threads recently and our conclusion was there simply wasn't a large enough demographic of "young urban professionals" to sustain the model that a few other cities have done - that is to restart an urban core based on those people.

Trouble is in Dayton the majority of young professionals get married in their early to mid 20's, settle down, and start a family. And the best place to do that is.... voila... the suburbs.

There is enough to sustain the Oregon District, and possibly South Park is turning around. But you aren't going to gentrify the whole city on the backs of young professionals. There just aren't enough of them. And that's something that City Hall probably admits... that's why they target the people who have already moved to the suburbs.

[Ohiogirl81]

If you want "super chill", you'll have to speak up and let those in charge know what that means.

[SWOH]

Welcome to the forum OP! You definitely bring a unique perspective.

I will say Ohiogirl81 is 100% correct. Change can happen, you just have to voice your opinions about what you want and put in the work to help make it a reality. And that starts with patronizing what's already here and spreading the word about it. Many people just don't know what's out there, because there is quite a bit. But the downside is our cool music and arts scenes, etc. are spread out all over the city. There's not a lot of concentration - yet. If you don't already, check out Dayton Most Metro. They always know what's going on around Dayton:
mostmetro.com

Overall though, Dayton has made significant strides over the past few years. I'm not sure how long you have been around the area, but through the '90's we had some revitalization efforts start and then sputter out (Santa Clara and Huffman Historic Districts). Since then, the overall strategy has been make the core strong, and revitalization will follow through the city from there. So since 200, we've added Riverscape, the Dragons, the Schuster Center, most of the South Park revitalization, lots of condos downtown and in Webster Station, a ton of craft breweries, most of the area bike trails, and popularized canoeing along the rivers.

That being said, there's still a ways to go. But keep in the loop, become a talking head on here, get involved in UpDayton, Generation Dayton, or other groups in the community, and volunteer. You never know what you might be able to accomplish!

[Dayton Sux]

Welcome to the forum OP! You definitely bring a unique perspective.

The thread parent has been a member here since 2012, and has been living downtown.

Here is another thread from the fall of 2012


A Young Adult's Perspective of Dayton

...which turned into a fun, ranty, "Dayton sucks and this is why" kind of thread (some good posts by yours truly)

[SWOH]

Ah. Thanks for the clarification.


And yeah, Dayton (or anyplace really) can suck if you want it to. It's all about personal attitude.

I was not a fan of my current university when I first went there. I really wanted to go to UD, but financially it made no sense (or academically). So I went in with a ****-poor attitude that resulted in an awful freshman year. Over that summer, I mulled over transferring until I decided to do it. But it was too late. I missed the transfer deadline. So I made a point to make my next year there better. And you know what? I made some great friends, had a wonderful time, and now I wouldn't want to be anywhere else (which will start being a bad running joke as I go into my 5th year as a business / engineering double major haha).

Point is, anyplace is what you make it. You want it to suck? It will. You want it to be awesome? It takes more work, but it can be done. And in Dayton, where there's a ton of stuff to do, it should be easy to make this place enjoyable. Think about how much harder it would be if you were in McArthur, OH, Maysville, KY, or Cairo, IL.

[Dayton Sux]

“Point is, anyplace is what you make it. You want it to suck? It will. You want it to be awesome? It takes more work, but it can be done.”

…, hence my comment about making lemonade out of lemons.

However, bringing this remark over from the Affordability thread, from the poster Rustbelt Optimist:

“I don't mean to imply that soft amenities like the arts are more important than STEM building or VC develoment, but they certainly tend to show up in differences between cities when it comes to long term retention of employers and property values….

… the young need a variety of new art and music, an actual living arts economy, a crowd which can extend the hours a city's nighttime venues remain profitable, creating more buzz and vibe about a city.”

The this excerpt from the thread header:

Young people like myself want a good music scene, good nightlife, an

exploding arts scene that isn't ran by a bunch of baby boomers who have no idea what this generation likes, and tech friendly gathering places that are super chill. “

“….There is absolutely nothing dope about what the city is doing right now....but I just feel like the city will have a better image if it was far more driven based on college students living downtown, young artists, socialite scene, arts etc.”

I’ve read this elsewhere, that the younger generation thinks what’s on offer in,say,the Oregon, is tired. I’ve even read that the The Greene is a preferable hangout for 20 somethings.

Sounds like a generation gap is being identified, too... "an exploding arts scene that isn't ran by a bunch of baby boomers who have no idea what this generation likes"

[Natural510]

Yeah, that's one thing sorely missing in Dayton...other than a nice-for-its-size art institute, there is no real arts scene to speak of. What does exist in the area is mostly confined to Yellow Springs, and artists looking to relocate to a cheap Midwestern city to do their thing will likely choose somewhere larger (like Cleveland or Detroit) or with more of an intellectual edge (Athens, Madison, Ann Arbor, etc).

[SWOH]

^I will have to disagree, slightly, with you both.

We have a lot of arts groups in this city. The ballet, philharmonic, orchestra, visual arts, K-12 arts center, about 4-5 theatre companies (like Zoot, the Human Race, etc.), Futurefest, the Neon... I could keep going.
Downtown Dayton Partnership

What we don't have is a space specifically for artists. Hamilton's artspace lofts would be a good model to follow:
Artspace Hamilton Lofts | Artspace