Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I thought I read or saw somewhere stories about plans to build a rapid transit line connecting Miami and Miami Beach. I think I even saw a story saying that it would run underground, which would make maintenance a real challenge as the water table is close to the surface in Miami.
It literally just needs a frequent light rail -- frequent as in 5-10 minutes at most. One line, running from Wynwood to Downtown, Brickell, then across to South Beach. Could even be a loop, running up to 195 and then back to Wynwood. No need to run the thing underground, especially given the major problems the city already has with flooding, etc. Not to mention, an elevated light rail would provide some stunning views crossing the bay. That would be an instant game changer, and it's quite baffling that it's not a thing.
If Orlando is able to get a Sunrail line connecting Downtown, the Airport, and International Drive/Tourist trap town, I would think FDOT could fund a similar project in Miami.
The Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood redevelopment plan in Downtown DC looks incredible. Implementing these ideas would completely change that neighborhood. Representing 30 city blocks, that neighborhood anchors a crucial part of Downtown DC.
Very surprised on this list (I know its 12 years old) that Chicago isn't a clear 2nd.
I haven't been to DC in like 20 years, and maybe it's dramatically changed, but I don't remember the downtown being particularly impressive. Granted, I'm from a city with a massive downtown (Toronto), so the only one in the States that truly wows me is NYC. Granted, I love Chicago's, and I enjoyed my time in Boston and SF. Philly I have to check out and DC I have to get back too.
Very surprised on this list (I know its 12 years old) that Chicago isn't a clear 2nd.
I haven't been to DC in like 20 years, and maybe it's dramatically changed, but I don't remember the downtown being particularly impressive. Granted, I'm from a city with a massive downtown (Toronto), so the only one in the States that truly wows me is NYC. Granted, I love Chicago's, and I enjoyed my time in Boston and SF. Philly I have to check out and DC I have to get back too.
I think it is fair to say Chicago is still pretty solidly the number 2 downtown. Certainly quantitatively it is. Although, it is showing its pandemic scars in parts of the loop and the Mag Mile and State Street retail corridors. Beyond that stuff is a little more influx post-pandemic. Generally after Chicago, it was some mix of SF, Philly and Boston. DC is big, but not as mixed use. Seattle was rising and was probably 6th or 7th most active downtown. LA and Miami were also rising.
Post pandemic, it is hard to say. Cities like Bos, SF, and Philly were so far ahead of the rest of the US that they likely still rank as the top 5 even if they have narrowed their lead. SF is probably starting to turn the corner, but has a steep climb back after the chaos of post-2020. Boston wasn't too badly hurt, but the city is zoned in a way that will hamper future growth. Philly was somewhere in the middle in terms of pandemic chaos, but its economy is generally the weakest of the 3. DC was mostly an office monoculture. It doesn't have the grim,drugs, encampments of the West Coast downtowns. But, the office core remains underultilized and the downtown retail has basically collapsed. There are long term plans to reorient into a more mixed environment. But, as of right now, that is just a plan and will take a decade or more to really bare fruit.
Portland regularly featured in the top downtown in the US, but it suffered massive declines in activity post-pandemic. SD and Minneapolis were also regularly praised and have suffered. Denver was in that same general tier and has probably done a bit better than the others.
Then you have a series of cities that have been booming in their downtowns: Miami, Austin, Nashville, arguably Atlanta if you take a broad view of the downtown core to include midtown. Outside of Miami, they likely aren't top 10 yet. But, they have narrowed the gap and come out of the pandemic stronger than they went in.
In general, a lot is flux right now. I feel a lot less confident raking downtown now than I did 5 years ago.
I think it is fair to say Chicago is still pretty solidly the number 2 downtown. Certainly quantitatively it is. Although, it is showing its pandemic scars in parts of the loop and the Mag Mile and State Street retail corridors. Beyond that stuff is a little more influx post-pandemic. Generally after Chicago, it was some mix of SF, Philly and Boston. DC is big, but not as mixed use. Seattle was rising and was probably 6th or 7th most active downtown. LA and Miami were also rising.
Post pandemic, it is hard to say. Cities like Bos, SF, and Philly were so far ahead of the rest of the US that they likely still rank as the top 5 even if they have narrowed their lead. SF is probably starting to turn the corner, but has a steep climb back after the chaos of post-2020. Boston wasn't too badly hurt, but the city is zoned in a way that will hamper future growth. Philly was somewhere in the middle in terms of pandemic chaos, but its economy is generally the weakest of the 3. DC was mostly an office monoculture. It doesn't have the grim,drugs, encampments of the West Coast downtowns. But, the office core remains underultilized and the downtown retail has basically collapsed. There are long term plans to reorient into a more mixed environment. But, as of right now, that is just a plan and will take a decade or more to really bare fruit.
Portland regularly featured in the top downtown in the US, but it suffered massive declines in activity post-pandemic. SD and Minneapolis were also regularly praised and have suffered. Denver was in that same general tier and has probably done a bit better than the others.
Then you have a series of cities that have been booming in their downtowns: Miami, Austin, Nashville, arguably Atlanta if you take a broad view of the downtown core to include midtown. Outside of Miami, they likely aren't top 10 yet. But, they have narrowed the gap and come out of the pandemic stronger than they went in.
In general, a lot is flux right now. I feel a lot less confident raking downtown now than I did 5 years ago.
I'd say the reason SF has a steep climb back is because one of the three legs supporting the stool of Downtown SF got just about completely sawed off. A lot of workers in downtown SF worked in the tech sector, and that sector still hasn't returned to the office. All those techies working from home leave the streets of San Francisco bereft of pedestrian traffic during the day.
Philly's economy may be the weakest of the three (Boston/SF/Philadelphia), but (a) our downtown residential population is the greatest of them (exceeded only by Chicago and New York), and those residents use Center City for recreation and leisure even if they work from home. A row of retail buildings in the middle of a Walnut Street block got torched over George Floyd Weekend; the lot where they stood hasn't been redeveloped yet and may not be for a while because of conflicts among the owners, but that didn't keep it from becoming a seasonal beer garden now in its second season (b) our biggest corporate citizen, Comcast NBCUniversal, did tell its workforce they needed to be in the office three days a week.
According to the Center City District's 2024 State of Center City Philadelphia report, employment citywide is about 30,000 above its pre-pandemic peak — and 43 percent of all jobs citywide are located in Center City and the adjacent areas to its north and south (what the CCD calls "Greater Center City"). The number of nonresident workers downtown is at 70% of 2019 levels, with five cities having regained a higher share (Boston and San Francisco both trail Philadelphia here, with Boston close and San Francisco next to last of the 25 cities its report compared [Portland brought up the rear, with nonresident workers in its downtown at 50% of 2019 levels]. Chicago also trails Philly badly). At a previous meeting, the CCD noted that foot traffic was also back to pre-pandemic levels on Center City streets.
According to the Center City District's 2024 State of Center City Philadelphia report, employment citywide is about 30,000 above its pre-pandemic peak — and 43 percent of all jobs citywide are located in Center City and the adjacent areas to its north and south (what the CCD calls "Greater Center City"). The number of nonresident workers downtown is at 70% of 2019 levels, with five cities having regained a higher share (Boston and San Francisco both trail Philadelphia here, with Boston close and San Francisco next to last of the 25 cities its report compared [Portland brought up the rear, with nonresident workers in its downtown at 50% of 2019 levels]. Chicago also trails Philly badly). At a previous meeting, the CCD noted that foot traffic was also back to pre-pandemic levels on Center City streets.
Great overview. There's also evidence that job growth has shifted dramatically downward in all of the major metros over the past couple of years, and the Philly division is actually now arguably the most stabilized of the Northeast Corridor.
The downtown employment/office foot traffic landscape is in for a ride of fits and starts all in big downtowns, for sure, so it's much more prudent to focus on making residential populations (and tourism) more robust (something that Philly's Center City, as you note, as been really been focusing on for a number of years, even prior to the pandemic)
I'd say the reason SF has a steep climb back is because one of the three legs supporting the stool of Downtown SF got just about completely sawed off. A lot of workers in downtown SF worked in the tech sector, and that sector still hasn't returned to the office. All those techies working from home leave the streets of San Francisco bereft of pedestrian traffic during the day.
Philly's economy may be the weakest of the three (Boston/SF/Philadelphia), but (a) our downtown residential population is the greatest of them (exceeded only by Chicago and New York), and those residents use Center City for recreation and leisure even if they work from home. A row of retail buildings in the middle of a Walnut Street block got torched over George Floyd Weekend; the lot where they stood hasn't been redeveloped yet and may not be for a while because of conflicts among the owners, but that didn't keep it from becoming a seasonal beer garden now in its second season (b) our biggest corporate citizen, Comcast NBCUniversal, did tell its workforce they needed to be in the office three days a week.
According to the Center City District's 2024 State of Center City Philadelphia report, employment citywide is about 30,000 above its pre-pandemic peak — and 43 percent of all jobs citywide are located in Center City and the adjacent areas to its north and south (what the CCD calls "Greater Center City"). The number of nonresident workers downtown is at 70% of 2019 levels, with five cities having regained a higher share (Boston and San Francisco both trail Philadelphia here, with Boston close and San Francisco next to last of the 25 cities its report compared [Portland brought up the rear, with nonresident workers in its downtown at 50% of 2019 levels]. Chicago also trails Philly badly). At a previous meeting, the CCD noted that foot traffic was also back to pre-pandemic levels on Center City streets.
The report said the study area of Center City Philly has 200,000 residents. How big is the study area? What kind of population density is that?
Philly's "third-largest downtown population" thing is at best debatable. The Center City marketing folks have always used a much larger area for their population stats, and relied on questionably-small areas for other cities. An apples-to-apples comparison would probably put San Francisco in the top three.
BTW, walking around today I'm reminded of the health of greater Downtown Seattle. The old office core is half full these days, and retail has suffered, but the tourism and residential sides are going great. The touristy areas like the Seattle Center (campus with Space Needle, museums, etc.), the Elliott Bay waterfront, and the Pike Place Market are buzzing like it's July. We're still breaking ground on apartments, though fewer. Several years of intense infill are evident in the general activity level.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
