Most improved and transformed city cores (best, state, better, places)

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Judging from 20 years ago from 1994 going forward, what cities has made the most improvement? What cities have made the most progress, and transformation of its city core being downtown and adjacent neighborhoods of it catching overlap into the periphery. Which downtowns have cleaned up the most that have transitioned from trashy and dirty to cleaner and more well kept streets? Think of cities that in the early 1990's or prior that had dull downtown cores with little vibrancy that have developed character, attractions, and vibrancy over time. Criteria can also include....

-A sharp increase in residential development
-Filling vacant spaces and lots with infill/density
-Most improved shopping/retail/dining
-New Office Space
-Best downtown for new small businesses
-New Museums
-New transit development
new multimodal transit centers
new transit lines
buried or relocated freeways
-New parkland
-Unique and innovative planning
and..
-Biggest transition from dead, dirty, and boring to fun, inviting, and vibrant


I know most cities in the US have all had improvement. Which ones stand out the most? To give a fair shot at most, I've included the top 30 metros in the country in the poll.

[mjtinmemphis]

I would say Chicago. The city has come a long way in terms of downtown and neighborhood development and residential population growth downtown. There is such a good mixture of old and new architecture.

[costello_musicman]

"Most improved and transformed"

A shout out to an underdog DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND:

Since 1994-2012 ($100 million+ big ticket items)

- Cleveland Indians Progressive Field (1994)
- Cleveland Cavs Quicken Loans Arena (1994)
- Cleveland Browns First Energy Stadium (1999)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995)
- Great Lakes Science Center and IMAX (1996)
- Cleveland Public Library HQ (1997)
- 23-story (430 feet) Courthouse tower (2002)
- Cleveland State University $250 million expansion (2005-2014)
- E.4th Street creation (2004-2012)

Since 2012, huge spike in residential and hotels totaling $4 billion (and is seeing a revival surpassing the mid 1990's.)

- Cleveland Aquarium (2012)
- Cleveland Horseshoe Casino (2012)
- Cleveland Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation ($400+ million) (2013)
- 21-Story Flats East Bank office tower (2013)
- Playhouse Square (theater district) revamping (2014)
- West 25th brewery district creation (2011-2014)

Downtown Cleveland only:

21 new residential projects since 2012 (2556 total new units):
1) Avenue District -- 56 units (completed 2012)
2) Lofts at Rosetta -- 97 units (completed 2013)
3) Reserve Square -- 218 units (completed 2013)
4) The Langston -- 318 units (completed 2013) NEW CONSTRUCTION
5) Residences at the Hanna -- 102 units (completed 2013)
6) The Seasons at Perk Park -- 33 units (completed 2013)
7) Schofield -- 55 units (under construction for fall 2014)
8 ) The 9 -- 104 units (under construction for fall 2014)
9) Swetland Building -- 80 units (under construction for fall 2014)
10) Truman Building -- 26 units (under construction for fall 2014)
11) Residences at 1717 -- 223 units (under construction for fall 2014)
12) MT Silver -- 39 units (under construction for fall 2014)
13) Flats East Bank Phase II -- 245 units (under construction for summer 2015) NEW CONSTRUCTION
14) 1750 Euclid Ave -- 217 units (planned for fall 2015) NEW CONSTRUCTION
15) 1224 Huron -- 9 units (planned for 2016)
16) Park-Southworth Buildings -- 34 units (planned for 2016)
17) May Company Building -- 350 units (planned for 2016)
18) Worthington Co. Warehouse -- 83 units (planned for 2016)
19) Lincoln Building -- 17 units (planned for 2016)
20) 1220 Huron -- 80 units (planned for 2016)
21) Garfield Building -- 170 units (planned for 2016)

7 new hotels since 2012 (totaling 1887 new hotel rooms):
1) Aloft -- 150 rooms (completed 2012) NEW CONSTRUCTION
2) Westin -- 481 rooms (under construction for summer 2014)
3) The Metropolitan, Marriott Autograph Collection -- 150 rooms (under construction for fall 2014)
4) Kimpton Properties @ Schofield -- 120 rooms (under construction for winter 2014)
5) Drury Plaza Hotel -- 180 rooms (planned fall 2015 opening)
6) 30-story Hilton Convention Center Hotel -- 600 rooms (planned summer 2016 opening) NEW CONSTRUCTION
7) Le Meridien -- 206 rooms (planned winter 2016 opening)

Expanded Public Transportation:
1) Downtown Trolleys have added extended hours and added 3 lines. It is no longer only the B-Line and E-line, but is now new C-Line, L-Line, and NineTwelve-Line: http://www.riderta.com/sites/default/files/schedule-pdfs/Trolleys.pdf
2) Waterfront train line has resumed 7-days a week service due to the Flats Phase I completion.
3) Healthline BRT completed -- named best BRT is the United States. Cleveland's HealthLine gives more development bang for the buck than other transit corridors, study finds | cleveland.com

Surrounding neighborhoods of Ohio City, Tremont, and Detroit-Shoreway/Gordon Square are seeing massive residential and commercial spin-off development of their own.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park has annexed lakefront property and riverside property for connected park expansion.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9NUstY0a7c

Downtown Cleveland Alliance 2014 Q1 Report: http://www.downtowncleveland.com/med...70/q1_2014.pdf

[Champ le monstre du lac]

My vote goes to Denver. My first visit there in the 90's and it gave me the impression that there wasn't much beyond the 16th street mall, and even that left a lot to be desired at the time. LoDo, though cute seemed kinda like...meh after a few blocks. It didn't seem like any kind of place to walk around at night either. That's changed drastically since. A ton of urban residential infill and many urban loft style housing have gone up around the surrounding blocks of LoDo and Coors Field, many vacant parking lots being filled in with midrise residential and ground level retail/dining. Downtown Denver now has buzz both day and night.

The biggest transformation has happened around the rail yards behind Union Station. Alongside the Commons and Confluence Parks are sleek new pedestrian bridges connecting the 16th Street Mall over the railroad tracks through attractive parkland and another bridge over I-25 adding a cohesive link from the once severed neighborhood of Highlands. They have created a new and unique urban vibe there that will likely get even better in short time.

This weekend Denver hits another milestone with the opening of a new multi nodal transit base at Union Station. This historic property has restored the original station from 1914 and added a modern central hub with a promenade, an underground metro bus concourse, light rail connections, and new rail platforms for the coming commuter rail lines to the airport and northern suburbs with the East Line airport connection opening in two years. Surrounding has some mid to rise residential filling in the once vacant blocks.

Denver never had much of a foodie reputation, but that seems to have risen as money and demand tends to bring those elements in. It's a great town for micro brews and well..... the other stuff too .

[kcmo]

Denver has changed a ton since 1994, but I think the city was well on its way by then. Cities like Cleveland and Kansas City were total wastelands in the early 90's, yet I didn't vote for them because their comeback is still not complete and they have a ways to go.

I chose Washington because of how much of the city has been transformed. Not just the downtown area, but huge swaths of neighborhoods surrounding downtown have been developed or rejuvenated. Downtown has seen tremendous growth too though.

Most cities have seen incredible change and investment since the mid 90's. From Seattle to Miami and San Diego to Providence and places like Pittsburgh in between. Baltimore is finally turning another corner and just maybe Detroit is about to get their turn.

Only a couple of cities have not done much. Buffalo and Memphis come to mind.

[tcave360]

Most definitely DC and Los Angeles.

[Nafster]

Chicago most definitely since the 80s and 90s!

Los Angeles, DC, Indianapolis, and Austin as well.

[dee936]

Dallas and Austin!!!!!

[Antny12]

Austin

[TBideon]

Nothing comes close to DC's change