I know some of you will not care, but I thought I would put it out there. First Baptist held VBS last week at the Downtown campus. Close to 3,000 kids attended. Between Sunday July 8 and Sunday July 15, it was estimated that over 25,000 people were on the FBC campus. Monday morning traffic was pretty bad around the church as parking garages were filling up. Don't know if anyone saw all the kids walking around or crossing the streets Downtown, but it was a sight to see. Many of the kids who attended were not members of the church and for most of them it was there first experience with Downtown. Now, just imagine what it would have been like to have a college located in heart of the city creating street life.
QuoteNow, just imagine what it would have been like to have a college located in heart of the city creating street life.
Has FSCJ Downtown campus been downgraded from college status?
My point is they do not interact in the urban core, like say a GA State in Downtown Atlanta. FSCJ is all just about fenced off now.
We had a golden opportunity for FCSL to move downtown but the City pooped on that idea. Unfortunately our city leaders don't see value in attracting universities downtown.
Can't have young, educated folks downtown. They might be "liberal" or "progressive" and have "critical thinking skills" and really pay attention to the dysfunction of City Council, and the City in general. Nope, can't have that. ::)
What a great idea for the old courthouse...a law school.
We missed on fsu's satellite med school campus as well, they went to Daytona of all places.
Recently someone posted a thread with photographs from the abandoned ruins of Gary, Indiana - mostly due to the collapse of the steel industry. Gary isn't the only city to have suffered the massive layoffs from US Steel (and other steel producing corporations). Birmingham, AL experienced the same - yet today you don't see nearly the impact because of the presence of UAB, the state's medical school and leader in healthcare.
If there was one thing I could go back and change about Jacksonville's past, it would be the decision to locate UNF outside of downtown.
Quote from: fsujax on July 16, 2012, 09:15:29 AM
My point is they do not interact in the urban core, like say a GA State in Downtown Atlanta. FSCJ is all just about fenced off now.
Nothing that a simple 300' extension of the Skyway couldn't fix!
Quote from: Ocklawaha on July 16, 2012, 11:47:20 PM
Quote from: fsujax on July 16, 2012, 09:15:29 AM
My point is they do not interact in the urban core, like say a GA State in Downtown Atlanta. FSCJ is all just about fenced off now.
Nothing that a simple 300' extension of the Skyway couldn't fix!
What an idea Ock. I'm sure that somebody has already thought that through. Obviously the idea has had opposition, or at least nobody has taken it further. Yes ..... the Skyway connection between the core and FSCJ would seem to add a significant pipeline for activity and convenience.
Quote from: cline on July 16, 2012, 09:10:16 AM
QuoteNow, just imagine what it would have been like to have a college located in heart of the city creating street life.
Has FSCJ Downtown campus been downgraded from college status?
:) :) :)
Am I missing something? The Skyway station at the bus station is right across the street from FSCJ, isn't it? I used to park at the convention center and take the skyway to Central Station. I worked a couple of blocks from there, but I didn't expect the skyway to drop me off in front of the Bank of America Tower. Is it impossible to walk 300 feet these days?
Quote from: dougskiles on July 16, 2012, 10:30:35 PM
Recently someone posted a thread with photographs from the abandoned ruins of Gary, Indiana - mostly due to the collapse of the steel industry. Gary isn't the only city to have suffered the massive layoffs from US Steel (and other steel producing corporations). Birmingham, AL experienced the same - yet today you don't see nearly the impact because of the presence of UAB, the state's medical school and leader in healthcare.
If there was one thing I could go back and change about Jacksonville's past, it would be the decision to locate UNF outside of downtown.
It's also worth noting that Gary, Indiana has a commuter rail line running through the centre of it. I support the idea of some sort of rail options being developed in Jacksonville in the future, but it's important to realise that the mere existence of rail is not some sort of silver bullet that makes everything else hunky-dory.
Extending the Skyway a few more yards or building a streetcar line in isolation (e.g. not as part of a larger plan, which must address getting businesses and people downtown) will give us another underused white elephant.
Just a thought.
Quote from: fsujax on July 16, 2012, 09:15:29 AM
My point is they do not interact in the urban core, like say a GA State in Downtown Atlanta. FSCJ is all just about fenced off now.
Well you know part of they it was designed was to cut off springfield from Downtown back in the day for the sake of rascism. So I think FCSJ will always have a logistical and structual disadvantage. But there has to be something that can be done to intergrated it more effectly though.