Old downtown areas

[fan-of-fans]

Does your city or township where you live have an older downtown area or streets? Are these areas inhabited with retail or other businesses or are they empty?

Just wondering because I've noticed this can vary. Of course in smaller towns the old parts may be only a few storefronts on one street.

My town has a fairly large old business district, with a roundabout right in the middle. There are quite a few offices and other small businesses there, but very little retail. I notice that several storefronts are up for lease. It seems businesses sometimes open up in these storefronts and then move to other locations. There does seem to be a decent amount of traffic in the area though and it seems to be maintained well.

There are evens during the year in the area as well.

 

[cornutt]

The old downtown area here surrounds the county courthouse, as is the case in a lot of Southern county-seat towns. As such, historically, the shops and storefronts around the courthouse were a mix of retail, and services associated with the county government. In the first half of the 20th century it became the retail hub of the town. I remember shopping downtown with my mom in the early 1960s, when I was a young child.

From about that time to 1970, the retail gradually left downtown and moved out to the then-suburban malls, where rents were cheaper for merchants and parking was plentiful and free for customers. By 1975, most of it, and the adjacent residential areas, was empty and decaying. Some of it was torn down. But the courthouse was still there, and starting around 1980, law offices started moving in and fixing up the old buildings. And urban pioneers started buying and fixing the old historic houses. By the late '80s, it was a busy neighborhood again, at least in the daytime on weekdays.

A few restaurants and clubs started opening in the 1990s, and the city made some efforts to bring more night life to the downtown. That's been a slow and gradual process, although now there is a new wave of condos being built adjacent to the downtown, and a new generation is moving into them and opening up more restaurants and entertainment spaces. So now it's getting pretty busy again, although it still isn't as busy as what I remember from the early '60s.

 

[iej]

Tons of city centre retail here. There's a very conscious effort to protect and enhance it and avoid driving everything out to shopping centres (malls).

 

[thomasortega]

Downtown LA

Interesting architecture, some buildings are lovely, many of them restored as there is a huge movement to revitalize downtown, specially the areas surrounding USC.
Unfortunately, the nice architecture has to compete with camping tents, and junkies pushing red plastic shopping carts stolen from target... the worldwide famous Skid Row.

 

[vacerator]

Downtown L.A.

once had stately Victorian mansions. I think it was called Bankers hill? Near the city/county admin. tower, etc.
Some still survive in Highland Park. Many were split into apartments during the great migration. More are in the neighborhood where the charmed tv series house is. I think it's near Belflower.
Skid row used to be further east, closer to the newer high rises such as the Aon tower, Bank of America tower, etc. Today it's in front of the water and power building and the main mission on 6th. west of downtown.
Southern Cal. does have a serious homeless problem. Is it any wonder, with it's prices for housing? A family of four were found dead in their van back in April around the Newport coast area. They must have been asphyxiated by a heater they were using, or the vans engine exhaust.
Around here, some newer developments represent older downtown's, but never had one. The only suburban cities with an actual downtown are Mount Clemens, Farmington, Northville, Birmingham, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Berkley, and Clawson (sort of). Also Allen Park, Plymouth, Wyandotte, Trenton, and Lincoln Park sort of did. These are over three large counties. Ann Arbor does, and Milford, which are not part of metro Detroit.

 

[foraloysius]

Leeuwarden en Friesland (the province) are capital of culture in Europe 2018 together with Valetta on Malta. Lots of tourists in town!

Leeuwarden/Friesland also came in third on Lonely Planet's underrated holiday destinations.

Lots of tourists in town because of that!

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands/leeuwarden