Frank Denton: Can Downtown Be Awesomely Cool

[jaxnyc79]

http://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/20180902/frank-denton-can-downtown-be-awesomely-cool

Early in the article, he inquires: "But are we awesome - the adjective seemingly preferred by millennials, who are the key to Downtown revitalization."  Ugh.  For the love of God, find some millennial writers or at least millennial reviewers. 

Second, I hate that Downtown gets cast as some sort of generational aberration.  Instead of millennial housing - how about low-maintenance housing for people who'd rather be out celebrating humanity and culture over pulling weeds - open to everyone from college students to the active senior.  I'm not saying there aren't some generational correlations in certain lifestyle trends, but Downtown shouldn't just be some sort of millennial recruitment and retention exercise. 

[thelakelander]

The points come off like a report written by Richard Florida 20 years ago. A good chunk of millennials have young families. Add stuff like improving public education, parks, etc. to that list. Also, I agree that it's pretty shortsighted to believe downtown should only cater to a certain segment of the population. The most authentic places appeal to a much larger population base.

[tufsu1]

Second, I hate that Downtown gets cast as some sort of generational aberration.  Instead of millennial housing - how about low-maintenance housing for people who'd rather be out celebrating humanity and culture over pulling weeds - open to everyone from college students to the active senior.  I'm not saying there aren't some generational correlations in certain lifestyle trends, but Downtown shouldn't just be some sort of millennial recruitment and retention exercise. 

I agree 100%. One of the best things about the Parks @ the Cathedral community downtown is that it is multi-generational as well as being racially and economically diverse.