Minimum Criteria for a ''Functional Downtown''
What makes a downtown good? I've finally decided that it's not about size; rather, it's about functionality. This is what it all boils down to, but not in any particular order:
- a bookstore
- christian and new age bookstores do not count. they just don't.
- even better: a used bookstore
- at least one restaurant which stays open past 9pm
- a coffee house
- extra points if coffee house has folks out front who smoke filterless camels and engage in pseudo-intellectual discussion.
- people walking about after 5pm
Nice to Have
- lots of people at all hours of the day and late into the night
- grocery store
- a pharmacy
- a cheap place to get my hair cut, preferably gay.
- more bookstores
- more restaurants
- a bakery, preferably Danish
- with marzipan goodies
- pub with good beer on tap
- extra points for board games
Patterns of Downtown Failure
- downtown is devoid of people after 5pm (no retail). Example: Nearly every "city" between San Francisco and Chicago. You know who you are.
- downtown is demolished and replaced with nasty mall (example: Santa Clara)
- downtown is not demolished, but nasty mall is built nearby and everybody goes there instead, so downtown withers away (example: Mountain View and the Mayfield Mall)
- retail stores are all national chains; may as well be a mall
- high percentage of art galleries to other retail
- downtown has many empty storefronts
- downtown has many empty storefronts, boarded up
- downtown has many empty storefronts, boarded up, smell of stale urine in doorways
downtown has empty storefronts, boarded up. Single remaining non-empty storefront was a nice coffee house until it suddenly closes and reopens as Cafe Xpresso, a topless coffee house! Then the city council takes notice and shuts the whole damn thing down. (Example: Gainesville, FL).
modest examples:
