Fresno 'Believes' in Downtown Revitalization

Exploring an effort to revitalize the downtown of the city of Fresno—an agricultural town in the Central Valley of California.

1 minute read

March 23, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


James Fallows presents Fresno as a case study of a city attempting "to rebuild and revitalize what is now its very troubled downtown…" To do so, Fallows evaluates a number of points, including "Downtown as bellwether," the "Stages of downtown recovery," the "Background source of trouble," and the "need for a public champion."

Fallows notes that Fresno is positioned in interesting, and uncertain, points relative to any of the narrative arcs described in the article.

The article is the latest installment of the third season of the "American Futures" special report project. The homepage for American Futures shows the other communities the project has explored around the country. 

Friday, March 20, 2015 in The Atlantic

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Elon Musk in front of a sign for Grok 3

Post election, Texas is no longer Musk’s 'AI oasis'

Elon Musk dolled out $446 million on the 2026 midterms, the most ever spent by a non-canidate.

15 minutes ago - Politico

People vote in Chicago behind blue privacy screens

Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners

Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents

November 5 - Block Club Chicago

Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks into a microphone. He wears a gray suit.

NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting

New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.

November 5 - The City Reporter