Home › News ›

Drinking The 'Downtown Revitalization' Kool-Aid

Posted by: Christian Madera

4 August 2007 - 11:00am

Boosters like to sell downtown revitalization as crucial to a region's economic interest -- but for most cities, that's rarely the case.

In his final column for a Phoenix paper, Tom Gibbons writes:

"The two occupations with the biggest boosters for subsidizing back-to-the-future downtown revitalization are university faculty and business journalists.

Then there’s me. Despite having taught college classes and, for the past five years, toiling as business editor here, I just haven’t gotten with the program."

"I have nothing against downtowns, or sports venues or arts centers or bio-tech. I think they add something to a city or a region. But let’s not pretend that money we spend on these ventures will all come back to us with interest added. These subsidies are expenses, not investments. "

Full Story: A farewell rant about downtown revitalization efforts
Source: East Valley Tribune, July 31, 2007
»
Bookmark and Share
“
The impact of community design and amenities on community engagement is substantial. Respondents with a lower overall grade for their communities were also found to be less engaged in their communities, as measured by participation in social activities, relationships with neighbors, volunteer work, and civic participation such as voting.
”