Downtowns

Opponents of the capital investment plan rejected the plan on the basis that it focused too much on the downtown area.

June 11, 2015 - The New York Times

Improvements funded by the developer of the 73-story Wilshire Grand project will make Downtown Los Angeles' main thoroughfare a better place to walk, bike, and use public transit.

June 2, 2015 - Urbanize LA

What helps make a downtown family friendly? Safe places to play, safe streets, good schools and attainable housing, writes Jennifer Hill.

April 14, 2015 - Community Builders

"Mini D.C.s" provide the successful examples of revitalized, walkable urban places, according to a recent trend piece in the Washington Post.

November 3, 2014 - The Washington Post

Architecture critic Aaron Betsky provides a new take urban dystopia: bland and homogenous. The antidote, he argues, can be found on the edges.

October 9, 2014 - Architect

The city of Clearwater in Tampa Bay has a "sleepy" downtown, much of which is owned by the Church of Scientology. Can investments by the city revive its downtown, as it did with $30 million worth of investments in Clearwater Beach?

July 7, 2014 - Tampa Bay Times

With a $1 billion NFL stadium on the way, and a $400 million mixed-use development that recently broke ground next door to the new home of the Vikings, stakeholders have high hopes for Minneapolis' downtown.

May 30, 2014 - New York Times

After past attempts to redevelop the downtown of Michigan's third largest city failed, Warren's mayor believes that the city's downtown and civic center is ready to transform into a bustling urban environment. What will it take to make that happen?

May 7, 2014 - Detroit Free Press

University of Georgia College of Environment and Design Professor Jack Crowley has taken to the pages of a local publication to explain some of the thinking behind the proposed Downtown Athens Master Plan.

April 12, 2014 - Flagpole

Even cities without an official program for revitalizing their downtowns can take steps to transform their urban cores into a collection of vibrant places. The urbanSCALE website has collected a list of such strategies.

February 26, 2014 - urbanSCALE

The U.S. Census Bureau uses a relatively crude definition of downtowns, complicating comparison between metros and opening up their findings to criticism. A new method of measuring downtowns via heat maps of job density aims to address this problem.

October 8, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Morgan Brennan looks at the demographic and cultural factors driving America's "most surprising real estate boom," and examines how some cities have targeted investments to attract young professionals.

March 26, 2013 - Forbes

Recent studies show that upwards of 77% of Millennials are opting to live in urban areas. The impact on the local economy will be huge, IF urban planners rethink how we build our downtowns.

October 23, 2012 - ICIC Inner City Exchange

Wendell Cox delves into the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau that have prompted some to herald a return to America's downtowns, and argues that reports of such population growth are vastly overblown.

October 2, 2012 - New Geography

Nate Berg looks at new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau that puts hard numbers behind what people across the country have observed: America's downtowns are booming again.

September 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

After decades of false starts, Downtown Oklahoma City is making room for alternative transportation with streetcars, electric vehicle charging stations, and a new bike sharing program, reports Steve Lackmeyer.

April 21, 2012 - The Oklahoman

After a hard-won legal battle, Los Angeles' youngest coastal community can finally begin construction on its mixed-use downtown, report Roger Vincent and Martha Groves.

April 8, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Robert David Sullivan writes that the Main Street America department store is a holiday tradition, a grand public crossroads for celebrating the season.

December 12, 2011 - Boston Globe

Lured by state and potentially city incentives, one high-tech headquarters is ditching its current suburban location for a spot in downtown Kansas City. Is a resurgence afoot? Kevin Collison reports.

November 17, 2011 - The Kansas City Star

Tallahassee, Florida planners came to a realization - while their transit system was set up to efficiently get commuters downtown, only 14% of them actually worked downtown. So they actually changed where the buses go.

September 23, 2011 - Grist