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Advocacy

Turning the Corner: Rethinking and Remaking Downtown 

Downtown Vision, Inc., the Downtown Improvement District, at the request of the board of directors, has released Turning the Corner: Rethinking and Remaking Downtown, an analysis of Downtown’s decline and a guide to its revitalization.  Turning the Corner outlines eight tenets which Downtown Vision believes are necessary to move Downtown Jacksonville forward.  The paper is a follow up to the Chamber of Commerce’s 1992 white paper titled A Turning Point, The Decline of Downtown.

While the current circumstances in Downtown are challenging, the opportunity to create a vibrant Downtown still remains if bold and creative actions are taken during this critical time.  Turning the Corner provides an in-depth look at Downtown’s challenges, followed by best practices and recommendations to address each.  The paper also documents the plans, papers and studies on Downtown from the past 25 years.

“We can turn our Downtown around, but we must rethink our approach to revitalization,” said Jay Southerland, chairman, Downtown Vision.  “We believe that by concentrating on the compact walkable core of Downtown and applying best practices, Downtown can become truly great.”

The purpose of the paper is not to make detailed recommendations to reverse the decline of our Downtown.  Rather, it is to suggest a framework for a fresh approach to Downtown’s revitalization and to set forth the principles that Downtown Vision believes should guide the community in that effort. 

Specifically, those principles are as follows:
1.    Focus on the walkable core of Downtown
2.    Take a holistic approach going beyond capital improvements
3.    Develop a compelling Downtown experience, bringing excitement to the streets
4.    Ensure focused and ambitious leadership that is consistent over time
5.    Provide dedicated funding for Downtown needs
6.    Increase employment in the core
7.    Focus on residential reuse of vacant or underutilized buildings
8.    Improve management of public and private parking resources

“We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in major public improvements Downtown.  Now we need to breathe life into Downtown to make those investments succeed,” said Michael Harrell, DVI
Board member and Advocacy Committee chair.  “To continue business as usual is to allow the disintegration of our historic core.”

The paper, which is available here, was drafted by the authors of the 1992 white paper, John Welch and Michael Harrell, with input from Downtown Vision’s board of directors, executive staff and stakeholders.  Welch is a member of DVI’s Advisory Board.

 Please direct further queries to Downtown Vision at info@downtownjacksonville.org.