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Columbus, GA has made huge strides to get to the next level. Worlds largest whitewater course, college expansion downtown, converted mills into loft style condos and apartments, growing entertainment district, etc. Columbus is definitely on the move.
Jacksonville, FL. The city has many built-in advantages, but has lacked the leadership to really tie things together and take the city to the next level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly
I say Jacksonville FL could definitely be an awesome city. It has gorgeous beaches, but nothing else significant in the city.
Ding Ding Ding! I bet there are dozens, if not hundreds, of cities that can answer this topic in a very strong way. But I'll add a bit to Jax since it's one of the few places that I could claim to know very well.
Historically, Jax was THE city in FL (it had quite a head start) as for a time it was the terminus of the railroad and the farthest south travelers could reach. The downtown was bustling, vibrant and DENSE! The original city layout was mostly gridded, with streetcar suburbs forming commercial corridors surrounded by dense residential neighborhoods. Obviously boasts much of the oldest architecture in the state.
Unfortunately over the years the govt has decided to demolish wide swaths of the dense urban fabric, and massive interstates dividing the urban core haven't helped in the slightest. (I-10 and I-95 both converge on downtown Jax) But what remains is still a very decent amount of historic architecture (or bones) and large swaths of empty lots that can easily be infilled. On top of all that, I'd say the greatest bones Jax has are its transit lines. Some of the streetcar viaducts and tunnels still remain in tact, as do almost all of the heavy rail lines. The original Union Station still stands, with its 24 or so railroad tracks. In a commuter rail feasibility study from about 5 years ago, three commuter lines were identified. Two of them are already functional (for freight) so they could be operating as soon as the stations were built and the third would be as well if not for several sections where the track would need to be repaired or rebuilt. But the ROW is already owned and maintained by the city.
It's going to take a very long time before Jax's urban potential is reached, but to address the topic, if a population dynamite were lit and you brought 200K residents to the urban core, all of the infill AND transit infrastructure would be ready to go almost immediately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diff1
Richmond Va it has urban dense neighborhoods of a majoir city and a pretty big downtown for a city of just above 200,000
I said there'd be a lot of cities that can claim good bones so I really didn't want to single other ones out, but I have to admit I completely agree with Richmond.
Ding Ding Ding! I bet there are dozens, if not hundreds, of cities that can answer this topic in a very strong way. But I'll add a bit to Jax since it's one of the few places that I could claim to know very well.
Historically, Jax was THE city in FL (it had quite a head start) as for a time it was the terminus of the railroad and the farthest south travelers could reach. The downtown was bustling, vibrant and DENSE! The original city layout was mostly gridded, with streetcar suburbs forming commercial corridors surrounded by dense residential neighborhoods. Obviously boasts much of the oldest architecture in the state.
Unfortunately over the years the govt has decided to demolish wide swaths of the dense urban fabric, and massive interstates dividing the urban core haven't helped in the slightest. (I-10 and I-95 both converge on downtown Jax) But what remains is still a very decent amount of historic architecture (or bones) and large swaths of empty lots that can easily be infilled. On top of all that, I'd say the greatest bones Jax has are its transit lines. Some of the streetcar viaducts and tunnels still remain in tact, as do almost all of the heavy rail lines. The original Union Station still stands, with its 24 or so railroad tracks. In a commuter rail feasibility study from about 5 years ago, three commuter lines were identified. Two of them are already functional (for freight) so they could be operating as soon as the stations were built and the third would be as well if not for several sections where the track would need to be repaired or rebuilt. But the ROW is already owned and maintained by the city.
It's going to take a very long time before Jax's urban potential is reached, but to address the topic, if a population dynamite were lit and you brought 200K residents to the urban core, all of the infill AND transit infrastructure would be ready to go almost immediately.
Yep, all of this. Jax has a nice grid system, a gorgeous setting along the St. John's River, very close proximity to the beaches, a decent and respectable historic urban fabric, great weather, freshly streetscaped roads, an impressive history, nice neighborhoods, etc. Yet with all of these inherent advantages, you have cities like Charlotte that have done a lot more with a lot less to work with. When Jax can't get it together enough to even build a convention center--something that the vast majority of cities realize pays for itself in different ways, even if it typically operates at a modest loss yearly--that speaks volumes and not in a good way.
Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL...neither is even close to realizing its potential.
I agree, especially about their potential as a region. How close are these cities economically? Pensacola seems to have a nice stock of historical buildings. Just looking at a map.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly
I say Jacksonville FL could definitely be an awesome city. It has gorgeous beaches, but nothing else significant in the city.
It has a great setting on the St. John's river. I don't remember much but it's very underrated.
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