Following up on my last post, here’s a new perspective on downtown living — it’s the “new frontier.”
In the late 20th century, many downtowns became somewhat lawless states of nature. Homelessness, crime, gangs and / or other urban ills often prevailed. But rents were cheap.
The first group in — the artsy, alternative, bohemian and sometimes gay culture — sought inspiration and freedom in this space between civilization and the state of nature. Young people forging careers in the knowledge economies have often followed — just as in American history it was young people who ventured out to the frontier. And now, in some cities a fully “civilized” community has emerged in these formerly lawless spaces. Rents have increased and upper income families are increasingly colonizing the spaces.
To push the analogy further, a few are arguing today that many of these downtown and dense inner city spaces have begun to resemble suburbia somewhat — generic global chains like starbucks and McDonalds have taken over many of the retail spaces. The condo towers all look alike, inside and out.
So will certain suburbs become the new frontiers in their respective metropolitan areas?
1 
44 
5
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I say “yes”, but only when the inner suburbs start getting better transit. Especially late at night, when these young artsy types need to get home from their nights out.
I dont know if the suburbs will become the new frontiers but I think we can stop downtowns from becoming suburbanized. Downtowns by nature force upon people higher densities and multiple land uses and a different configuration of businesses.
I think the major challenge for downtowns is to allow businesses to come organically. Too many times Ive seen neighborhoods get broad brush stroked with major development that needs big box retail to turn a profit.
I believe what devlopments have to do is to employ good urbanist or TOD, or whatever good planning stategy there is and allow local businesses to fill in development. This may have to be dont by phases to allow development come through but we cant have new developments just plop 10 big box stores over night…that’s what suburbs do.
As downtowns get gentrified and ‘revitalized to death’ by master plans, the creative types seem to be turning to the ‘old’ suburbs of the 50′s and 60s which still offer authenticity and affordability.
There will be new frontiers, and one sniff is that it’ll be clustered living around shopping malls – or at least that’s the unimaginative answer. see my posting on this at http://tinyurl.com/22493y What do you reckon?
Great discussion everyone.
David, I hadn’t thought about the lifestyle center as a “new frontier” but maybe it is. A pre-fab “urban center” in suburbia.
However, if it reduces car trips and gets people out of their houses and meeting their neighbors while shopping and walking the downtown disney streets, it might be a big improvement over other suburban models. Not for me, necessarily, but a great fit for many others.