“As our cities slowly rise to prominence once again, and as droves of Americans make their way back to their urban centers, the decisions our developers and city governments make with regard to the future of our downtowns are suddenly magnified,” writes Arian Horbovetz for The Urban Phoenix, a blog that discusses the elements of urbanism in Upstate New York and beyond. “Developers throw lavish plans on the table that will surely usher the wallets of the wealthy, while residents new and old call for a more livable downtown for everyone to enjoy. This construct has or is currently playing out in countless cities across the nation.” “…essentially what so many cities are currently experiencing is the dilemma of whether to invest in large urban draws that will bring outside money in, or invest in a growing and changing downtown residential population that yearns for investments in keeping them there. To put it simply, do cities invest in big projects that create an entertaining space that grows tourism, or do they invest in the people that have already taken a risk by moving back into their long-dormant downtowns?” “Too often, our downtown revival follows the incorrect pattern… [but] when we think about residents first, we have the opportunity to turn a ‘fad’ into a sustainable and lasting way to invigorate our urban centers once again. Here’s how the model should go…”
