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I live in Downtown St. Louis and love it. Every type of restaurant one can think of. Plenty of entertainment from casinos to bars to live music and world class museums. 2 full service grocery stores with in walking distance. Numerous bodega type places. Metrolink accessibility. 4 major interstates to get one to the remainder of the metro in a short time. Not very expensive. Very progressive non pretentious residential population.
Missing major department store like City Target or Burlington Coat Factory or something. Not a dead street scene but not bustling most of the time like other places. As a downtown it lacks energy but as a neighborhood it is awesome.
This thread is encouraging in a lot of ways. Most cities are getting votes, and the ones that aren't probably just don't have enough locals/visitors/advocates posting. My takeaway is that basically all downtowns are livable.
This decade has been kind to urban downtowns, and most have improved substantially in recent years. Every big city downtown (probably?) has gotten an substantial infusion of residents, particularly the "by choice" residents that most US downtowns didn't get a few decades ago. Services and other nice things have followed.
Most have also added hotels, offices, cultural/touristy things, and so on. Hotels are sometimes the most impactful, because they're full of people who keep restaurants and retail going. A good mix of residents (of different ages, cultures, and income levels), tourists, office workers, students, event crowds, etc., means more consistent activity and a wider range of retail.
So kudos to our downtowns. And here's to the likely continuation of the upward spiral.
This thread is encouraging in a lot of ways. Most cities are getting votes, and the ones that aren't probably just don't have enough locals/visitors/advocates posting. My takeaway is that basically all downtowns are livable.
This decade has been kind to urban downtowns, and most have improved substantially in recent years. Every big city downtown (probably?) has gotten an substantial infusion of residents, particularly the "by choice" residents that most US downtowns didn't get a few decades ago. Services and other nice things have followed.
Most have also added hotels, offices, cultural/touristy things, and so on. Hotels are sometimes the most impactful, because they're full of people who keep restaurants and retail going. A good mix of residents (of different ages, cultures, and income levels), tourists, office workers, students, event crowds, etc., means more consistent activity and a wider range of retail.
So kudos to our downtowns. And here's to the likely continuation of the upward spiral.
I have been to all 50 major US cities, some several times. The only recent top 50 downtown I have seen dead and decayed is Jacksonville. That place is a ghost town as of 18 months ago!
Honestly at this point in time, alot of midsized city downtown's are virtually identical...it's just some now have more attractions and tourists than others.
I have been to all 50 major US cities, some several times. The only recent top 50 downtown I have seen dead and decayed is Jacksonville. That place is a ghost town as of 18 months ago!
Honestly at this point in time, alot of midsized city downtown's are virtually identical...it's just some now have more attractions and tourists than others.
Some have more crime and run down areas as well. It is really interesting how some downtowns have bucked their region's trend of decay/decline while others in seeming prosperous regions cannot seem to get their footing. Stagnant cities may use the growing cities as models of what could work in their town.
I live in Downtown St. Louis and love it. Every type of restaurant one can think of. Plenty of entertainment from casinos to bars to live music and world class museums. 2 full service grocery stores with in walking distance. Numerous bodega type places. Metrolink accessibility. 4 major interstates to get one to the remainder of the metro in a short time. Not very expensive. Very progressive non pretentious residential population.
Missing major department store like City Target or Burlington Coat Factory or something. Not a dead street scene but not bustling most of the time like other places. As a downtown it lacks energy but as a neighborhood it is awesome.
Some have more crime and run down areas as well. It is really interesting how some downtowns have bucked their region's trend of decay/decline while others in seeming prosperous regions cannot seem to get their footing. Stagnant cities may use the growing cities as models of what could work in their town.
I don't disagree but there are very few stagnant downtowns. For example Cleveland is very stagnant, but its boosters are correct to say its downtown is very active, growing, and dynamic. I think that's what gives them the false impression the city is doing better than it is.
St Louis is another city...not a really vibrant downtown but a very nice, usable, walkable, urban downtown with lots of attractions. The CVB is pushing it hard now.
I'd like to see another thread...name 5 stagnant top 50 downtowns and objective reasons why? (ie lack of new hotels and tourist attractions, lack of new office construction, OR office renovation, and lack of new residential construction OR residential renovation). Any stagnant downtown must feel deserted most nights and also feel dangerous (Jacksonville meets all criteria).
Here's another thing I see on these sites...a lot of very young gen z/millenials boostering their city based on all the 5-10 story glass and wood frame sunbelt junk going up. ...doesn't make it any better than a ten story all brick warehouse renovation from 1900 in St Louis. These older cities won't have as much new construction because they don't need to...already have the built urban form, just need to restore it.
I don't disagree but there are very few stagnant downtowns. For example Cleveland is very stagnant, but its boosters are correct to say its downtown is very active, growing, and dynamic. I think that's what gives them the false impression the city is doing better than it is.
St Louis is another city...not a really vibrant downtown but a very nice, usable, walkable, urban downtown with lots of attractions. The CVB is pushing it hard now.
I'd like to see another thread...name 5 stagnant top 50 downtowns and objective reasons why? (ie lack of new hotels and tourist attractions, lack of new office construction, OR office renovation, and lack of new residential construction OR residential renovation). Any stagnant downtown must feel deserted most nights and also feel dangerous (Jacksonville meets all criteria).
Here's another thing I see on these sites...a lot of very young gen z/millenials boostering their city based on all the 5-10 story glass and wood frame sunbelt junk going up. ...doesn't make it any better than a ten story all brick warehouse renovation from 1900 in St Louis. These older cities won't have as much new construction because they don't need to...already have the built urban form, just need to restore it.
I Would Like to see yet another thread, What Exactly Makes a Downtown 'Vibrant", Why do some Cities have "it" and why do some don't, It' Seems as if Every City Strives to have Vibrancy in there core. Can " Vibrancy" Be Artificially Created or is it Just a Have It or You Don't Type a thing, Can Witchita Kansas Look at New Orleans and Say , Ok Let s Put a bunch of Clubs on a Single Long Street and Let's Have A Annual Mardi Wichita Festival and Build a bunch of Shiny New Hotels for the Tourist that will come, and THAT! Will give us Vibrancy.. If Not What's Stopping Wichita or Jacksonville from creating this sought after Vibrancy
I Would Like to see yet another thread, What Exactly Makes a Downtown 'Vibrant", Why do some Cities have "it" and why do some don't, It' Seems as if Every City Strives to have Vibrancy in there core. Can " Vibrancy" Be Artificially Created or is it Just a Have It or You Don't Type a thing, Can Witchita Kansas Look at New Orleans and Say , Ok Let s Put a bunch of Clubs on a Single Long Street and Let's Have A Annual Mardi Wichita Festival and Build a bunch of Shiny New Hotels for the Tourist that will come, and THAT! Will give us Vibrancy.. If Not What's Stopping Wichita or Jacksonville from creating this sought after Vibrancy
Wichita has one street downtown with potential...it's called Douglas. But it's a GHOST TOWN. But even Wichita has a little decent bar area east of downtown....Old Town. But Wichita isn't a top 50 city....its downtown is worse than Jacksonville though.
Wichita has many decrepid midrises, followed by run down old churches and 1960s era looking used car and surface lot looking places. The south end of downtown near the freeway is very rough looking fast food.
Several years ago I completed my list of all top 50 MSAs. Wichita was one of teh cities in the 50-100 MSA that made me realize seeing every top 100 MSA wasn't worth it. Wichita was realllllly bad IMO. SO what I do now is revisit the top 50 MSAs and it is much more enjoyable as 90% are changing their urban cores for the good every year.
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