The Successful Few: Healthy Downtowns of Small Metropolitan Regions

Filion, Pierre; Hoernig, Heidi; Bunting, Trudi E.; Sands, Gary

doi:10.1080/01944360408976382

Cited by 67 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Renovating empty industrial buildings into lofts has proven successful in many cities, creating new neighbourhoods within historic buildings. Filion et al (2004) highlights the importance of synergies between the different sectors of downtowns. Their survey on the health and characteristics of small-metro downtowns found that "The foremost generalized lesson to be distilled from our selected downtowns is alarmingly simple: Their success can be attributed to an ability to attract people and assure they remain in their midst to pursue many of their activities" (p. 339).…”

Section: Revitalization Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebuilding downtown: The importance of activity generators in downtown revitalization

McConnell¹

2016

PCED

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This paper looks at recent history of small-metro downtowns, examining their fall from prominence and attempts at revitalization. The paper suggests activity generators, such as events, venues and attractions, are vital parts of the initial focus of downtown revitalization attempts where office-building employment has remained strong but a disconnect has emerged between the office workers and the rest of the downtown. The impact of activity generators is explored via a case study of London, Ontario. The case study concludes that financial incentives are insufficient on their own but play an important supporting role when paired with effective activity generators. Keywords: downtowns, urban revitalization, farmers markets, public libraries, revitalization, sporting eventsThis paper looks at recent history of small-metro downtowns, examining their fall from prominence and attempts at revitalization. The paper suggests activity generators, such as events, venues and attractions are vital parts of the initial focus of downtown revitalization attempts where office-building employment has remained strong but a disconnect has emerged between the office workers and the rest of the downtown.

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Section: Revitalization Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebuilding downtown: The importance of activity generators in downtown revitalization

McConnell¹

2016

PCED

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“…This is "…the process of leading degraded areas out of a crisis, in a complex manner, through integrated activities to the benefit of the local community, area and economy on the basis of the local revitalization project" (Revitalization Act, 2015). The city center is a common area for undergoing revitalization processes (FAULK 2006;FILION et al 2004;PAZDER 2011). It is an area of a high quality space, creating phenomena such as socialization, tourist and business exchange, a major factor for city growth, and also determines the vitality and the development of a city (PALICKI 2009;PALICKI 2015;SNEPENGER et al 1998;SOŁKIEWICZ-KOS 2014;TANAŚ 2015).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing Resources and Needs in Light of Modern Urban Transformations: the Case of Poznan

Palicki

2017

Real Estate Management and Valuation

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Polish cities have been at the stage of a dynamic suburban development for over a decade (which has led to the phenomenon of urban sprawl beyond any control). The population of big urban areas, together with their agglomerations is continuously increasing; however, migration tendencies towards suburban areas are strong as well. In such a situation, the question arises regarding the possibilities and the methods of suppressing the outflow of people to the neighboring communities, and once again, making the city an attractive place to live. The attempt to explain such an issue requires research into both the housing infrastructure and its inhabitants.Poznan has been severely affected by suburbanization. The diagnosis and assessment of Poznan housing resources and the preferences of its inhabitants are the starting point for taking further steps in making the housing conditions more attractive.The article shows the initial results of widespread research regarding housing in the capital city of the Wielkopolska Province (comprising over 2,500 households). A similar study for the entire agglomeration (Poznan County) is due to be completed soon. It will allow for a comparative analysis and formulating recommendations regarding the conditions and the direction of changes on the real estate market which would increase the attractiveness of central cities suffering from suburbanization. In a wider context, the publication might be seen as an analysis of one of the elements of modern urban changes, such as either market driven, or free and spontaneous processes of urban sprawl, and conscious actions taken by local governments (together with developers) regarding the integrated urban revitalization policy.

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“…Recognizing the challenge of managing two downtown cores in difficult economic times (the two former cities are only approximately 7 km apart), the City opted to better differentiate the roles of the two former CBDs through a process of 'urban specialization'; mentioned by [6] as one of 3 categories of downtown renewal strategies. The North Core has been re-branded as the City's 'Entertainment District' and, in addition to the location for the Waterfront renewal project, is home to a charity casino, Marina Park (which hosts several concerts and festivals annually), a playhouse, a growing diversity of bars and restaurants as well as other downtown functions like shopping and office employment.…”

Section: Project Objectives and Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such downtown renewal strategies fall into one of three categories, according to [6]: (1) adaptation for automobile accessibility; (2) head-on competition with suburbs, and (3) the accentuation of a distinct core area identity. The creation of downtown mall projects during the 1970s-probably the most well-known revitalization tool-is generally viewed as a failed attempt at revitalization, particularly in mid-sized cities [8], as are projects which prioritized automobile access to the core over accommodation of pedestrians, as a means for downtowns to compete with suburban areas [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these communities are now faced with real population decline requiring municipal governments to adjust their traditional planning mindset focused on economic and population growth [4]. With respect to the impact of suburbanization, residents began early in the 20th Century to migrate away from downtown areas [5] and this migration and explosion of housing in suburban rings is well documented for cities of a variety of scales [6]. Other traditional central city functions, such as commercial or retail activities followed in due course with the introduction of the regional shopping centre model in North America (in the 1960's and 1970's) and proliferation of the 'Big Box' retail sector since the late 1980s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metrics of Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Changing Downtowns in Thunder Bay, Canada

2017

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Thunder Bay, a medium-sized city in Northern Ontario, has a twin downtown core model, arising from the merging of two former cities in 1970. Its north core, designated as the City's Entertainment District has received considerable investment, notably a major waterfront renewal project undertaken in 2009 as part of an overall strategy towards downtown revitalization. Greater diversity of commercial functions and increasing residential capacity in downtowns are considered positive steps towards sustainable urban development. It is hoped the leadership taken by the City in its downtown capital investments can stimulate others (corporations and individuals) to re-invest in both living and working in more central locations to the benefit of environmental sustainability indicators like journey-to-work (distance and mode selected) and residential density. This article tracks changes in business composition and residential capacity during a five year period via the development of an intensive database of business and institutional activities. Urban sustainability metrics developed include residential capacity and density, business vacancy rates and business composition and turnover, which complement an existing measure of land-use diversity developed in earlier research. While major capital investments in downtown revitalization (such as the waterfront project) have fairly long-term impact horizons, data suggest some positive trends in the developed metrics in the downtown north core since 2009. In particular, there have been notable investments in waterfront condos and downtown lofts and some diversification in the food retailing and restaurant sectors. However, overall trends in downtown commerce are currently flat, indicative of a struggling local economy and a continued suburbanization of key commercial sectors.

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The Successful Few: Healthy Downtowns of Small Metropolitan Regions

Cited by 67 publications

References 21 publications

Rebuilding downtown: The importance of activity generators in downtown revitalization

Rebuilding downtown: The importance of activity generators in downtown revitalization

Housing Resources and Needs in Light of Modern Urban Transformations: the Case of Poznan

Metrics of Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Changing Downtowns in Thunder Bay, Canada

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