Caught this interesting discussion/article on another forum.
The Problem With Defining 'Downtown'Oct 07, 2013
By Emily Badger
(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/site/logo.gif)
Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/10/problem-defining-downtown/7144/ (http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/10/problem-defining-downtown/7144/)
Defining Downtowns PDF Report: http://definingdowntown.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/Defining_DowntownReport.pdf (http://definingdowntown.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/Defining_DowntownReport.pdf)
Website: http://www.definingdowntown.org/ (http://www.definingdowntown.org/)
QuoteLast year, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report on population trends in American downtowns, a helpful step toward quantifying the claims made by many cities that residents (and jobs) are moving there in droves. The Census' blunt definition of "downtown," though, inevitably produced some grousing about over-and under-counts of local populations. It measured "downtown," for lack of a better universal definition, as everything within a 2-mile radius of the local city hall.
- It's a little hard to blame the Census. There actually is no single definition of what "downtown" means across the country. Nowhere do the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually count or keep tabs on the number of jobs in American "downtowns." All of which complicates the efforts of business improvement districts and city officials to back up what's supposed to be one of the great urban success stories of the 21st century, the migration of employers and residents back downtown, redefining these places from dead zones where you one wouldn't want to be caught at night to full-service, 24-hour neighborhoods.
- With this perennial problem in mind, the Center City Philadelphia business improvement district is releasing a report today prepared for the International Downtown Association that tries to offer a new way of counting jobs downtown, measuring where the people who hold them live, and enabling comparisons across cities. The authors, Paul R. Levy and Lauren M. Gilchrist, rely on a relatively new Local Employment Dynamics dataset jointly produced by the Census Bureau and state labor market information agencies. With that tool, it's possible to create heat maps of job density, and then outline the irregularly shaped districts around them. The data also includes information on the home and work locations of employees, making it possible to determine which downtowns actually have people in them at night.
- With this method, Levy and Gilchrist counted 231 major employment centers in America's 150 largest cities, collectively containing 14.4 percent of all of the country's jobs. Because it's now possible to compare them along various metrics, 28 of those jobs centers have more than 100 jobs per acre (the national average is 0.05 jobs per acre). Impressively, 52.3 percent of workers who live in Chicago's downtown actually work there (in Midtown Manhattan, it's 48.2 percent). The accompanying database also counts workers living within a half mile or a mile of these jobs. If you're feeling really wonky, you can dig into all of the data and maps on these 150 U.S. cities here. Surely some people will come up finer revisions of this definition
In Baltimore (at left) and New York City (at right), here is what the resulting 2 mile radius circles look like where there's an awful lot of water, not to mention some largely neglected neighborhoods in Baltimore. And as anyone in New York will quickly point out, this definition of "downtown" in Manhattan awkwardly includes a slice of New Jersey.:(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/Screen%20Shot%202013-10-06%20at%203.41.54%20PM.png)
Alternatively the heat maps make clear that many cities don't actually have a single downtown employment center. Seattle is an example of a city that largely does:(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/seattle.png)
Cleveland has a downtown and a separate node around the "anchor institutions" near the Cleveland Clinic:(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/cleveland.png)
Atlanta (left) has multiple roughly equal jobs centers, while Jacksonville (at right) is decentralized with no single jobs center to speak of:(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/atl%20jax.png)
To take this data one step further, here is Baltimore's employment density, alongside a zoomed-in map of the resulting "downtown" employment node, with a one-mile walking radius drawn around it:(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/baltimore%202.png)
The maps for various cities and how they define downtowns can be found here:
http://definingdowntown.org/maps/
They don't have Jacksonville yet, but they have a lot of cities.
I took the data from their report and compiled it because I found it interesting and potentially useful. Using the data, I created my own primary downtown "ranking" of size, 60% weighted by number of jobs, 20% weighted by # of residents, and 20% weighted by job density, which in my opinion is a major factor in downtowns. You can have tons of jobs, but if the job density isn't there then the typical downtown features that make downtowns unique and useful can't exist.
Downtown DC is an example of a MASSIVE downtown (excluding Georgetown and VA Medical Center area, Downtown DC is the 4th largest by # employees, but it suffers from low density - and it's high # of residents is merely a factor of how sprawled downtown DC is, not a factor of actual residential density/true downtown living).
My ranking is below (data from the PDF report with link above):
Rank :: Employment Node :: # Jobs in Commercial DT + 1-mi Radius :: % Workers Living <1-mi from DT who work DT
1 Midtown Manhattan - 1,441,281 - 586,652 - 920 - Extremely High Job Density - 55.9% - Extremely High Quotient
2 Downtown Manhattan - 527,118 - 173,179 - 327 - Extremely High Job Density - 23.6% - High Quotient
3 Downtown Chicago - 609,902 - 144,051 - 294 - Extremely High Job Density - 51.8% - Extremely High Quotient
4 Downtown LA - 372,337 - 174,975 - 285 - Extremely High Job Density - 19.4% - Emerging Live-Work Area
5 Downtown San Francisco - 299,659 - 134,312 - 217 - Extremely High Job Density - 37.9% - Extremely High Quotient
6 Center City Philadelphia - 288,227 - 170,467 - 203 - Extremely High Job Density - 40.7% - Extremely High Quotient
7 Downtown Seattle - 294,369 - 119,590 - 150 - Extremely High Job Density - 41.0% - Extremely High Quotient
8 Downtown DC - 468,907 - 173,672 - 97 - Very High Job Density - 50.5% - Extremely High Quotient
9 Downtown Denver - 180,863 - 80,369 - 133 - Extremely High Job Density - 30.9% - Extremely High Quotient
10 Downtown Austin - 214,865 - 64,843 - 135 - Extremely High Job Density - 35.9% - Extremely High Quotient
11 Downtown Minneapolis - 232,458 - 132,403 - 85 - Very High Job Density - 34.9% - Extremely High Quotient
12 Downtown Baltimore - 149,432 - 108,725 - 119 - Extremely High Job Density - 26.6% - High Quotient
13 Downtown Houston - 200,383 - 58,459 - 166 - Extremely High Job Density - 18.0% - Emerging Live-Work Area
14 Downtown Pittsburgh - 153,224 - 69,534 - 134 - Extremely High Job Density - 31.3% - Extremely High Quotient
15 Downtown Milwaukee - 136,277 - 74,619 - 112 - Extremely High Job Density - 30.9% - Extremely High Quotient
16 Downtown Atlanta - 142,759 - 63,560 - 88 - Very High Job Density - 21.0% - High Quotient
17 Downtown Hartford - 120,797 - 94,968 - 80 - Very High Job Density - 31.5% - Extremely High Quotient
18 Downtown Portland - 180,173 - 101,416 - 61 - High Job Density - 43.5% - Extremely High Quotient
19 Downtown Oakland - 113,550 - 111,587 - 72 - High Job Density - 17.7% - Emerging Live-Work Area
20 Downtown Honolulu - 129,357 - 85,323 - 72 - High Job Density - 44.5% - Extremely High Quotient
21 Downtown Dallas - 167,514 - 36,884 - 175 - Extremely High Job Density - 21.3% - High Quotient
22 Downtown Miami - 188,003 - 140,889 - 52 - High Job Density - 23.9% - High Quotient
23 Downtown San Diego - 100,905 - 58,287 - 100 - Extremely High Job Density - 19.0% - Emerging Live-Work Area
24 Downtown Sacramento - 151,828 - 73,225 - 53 - High Job Density - 27.2% - High Quotient
25 Downtown Raleigh - 122,005 - 34,359 - 120 - Extremely High Job Density - 15.4% - Emerging Live-Work Area
26 Downtown St. Paul, MN - 85,753 - 42,910 - 103 - Extremely High Job Density - 17.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
27 Downtown Rochester - 68,449 - 63,722 - 83 - Very High Job Density - 21.2% - High Quotient
28 Downtown Providence - 77,885 - 70,508 - 72 - High Job Density - 36.4% - Extremely High Quotient
29 Downtown Indianapolis - 136,417 - 50,349 - 57 - High Job Density - 26.3% - High Quotient
30 Downtown Columbus - 121,455 - 53,110 - 58 - High Job Density - 21.4% - High Quotient
31 Downtown New Orleans - 84,566 - 70,525 - 59 - High Job Density - 37.2% - Extremely High Quotient
32 Downtown Phoenix - 107,859 - 33,554 - 89 - Very High Job Density - 15.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
33 Downtown Grand Rapids - 67,277 - 43,347 - 111 - Extremely High Job Density - 23.5% - High Quotient
34 Downtown Norfolk - 67,774 - 57,120 - 74 - High Job Density - 30.1% - Extremely High Quotient
35 Downtown Buffalo - 72,902 - 40,332 - 86 - Very High Job Density - 30.9% - Extremely High Quotient
36 Downtown Richmond - 80,313 - 49,702 - 65 - High Job Density - - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
37 Downtown Salt Lake City - 88,812 - 80,015 - 38 - Moderately High Job Density - 22.9% - High Quotient
38 Downtown San Antonio - 96,643 - 39,826 - 59 - High Job Density - 17.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
39 Downtown Tampa - 87,134 - 32,477 - 87 - Very High Job Density - 16.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
40 Downtown Cleveland - 124,086 - 41,236 - 44 - Moderately High Job Density - 27.8% - High Quotient
41 Downtown Louisville - 95,581 - 59,789 - 39 - Moderately High Job Density - 29.0% - High Quotient
42 Downtown Cincinnati - 90,271 - 27,488 - 98 - Very High Job Density - 23.7% - High Quotient
43 Downtown Orlando - 104,290 - 33,228 - 63 - High Job Density - 24.4% - High Quotient
44 Downtown Fort Lauderdale - 58,216 - 56,906 - 55 - High Job Density - 19.2% - Emerging Live-Work Area
45 Downtown San Jose - 70,762 - 94,838 - 35 - Moderately High Job Density - - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
46 Downtown Albany - 55,936 - 32,227 - 114 - Extremely High Job Density - 24.5% - High Quotient
47 Downtown St. Louis - 97,167 - 28,534 - 64 - High Job Density - 22.7% - High Quotient
48 Downtown Charlotte - 89,588 - 33,140 - 60 - High Job Density - 31.2% - Extremely High Quotient
49 Downtown Columbia, SC - 85,142 - 44,536 - 41 - Moderately High Job Density - 25.7% - High Quotient
50 Downtown Nashville - 86,615 - 25,922 - 63 - High Job Density - 16.7% - Emerging Live-Work Area
51 Downtown Las Vegas - 62,054 - 53,236 - 36 - Moderately High Job Density - 14.8% - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
52 Downtown Des Moines - 81,339 - 36,518 - 42 - Moderately High Job Density - 33.6% - Extremely High Quotient
53 Downtown Tucson - 47,678 - 25,316 - 127 - Extremely High Job Density - 21.6% - High Quotient
54 Downtown Kansas City - 69,482 - 22,122 - 75 - Very High Job Density - 25.2% - High Quotient
55 Downtown Rochester, MN - 46,704 - 19,918 - 155 - Extremely High Job Density - 50.2% - Extremely High Quotient
56 Downtown Spokane, WA - 53,621 - 33,411 - 58 - High Job Density - 32.0% - Extremely High Quotient
57 Downtown Tacoma - Seattle - 46,994 - 26,318 - 80 - Very High Job Density - 19.0% - Emerging Live-Work Area
58 Downtown Syracuse - 39,656 - 29,346 - 76 - Very High Job Density - 17.6% - Emerging Live-Work Area
59 Downtown Detroit - 78,144 - 17,438 - 67 - High Job Density - 21.1% - High Quotient
60 Downtown Wichita - 55,571 - 39,274 - 38 - Moderately High Job Density - 27.2% - High Quotient
61 Downtown Lexington, KY - 65,206 - 45,508 - 24 - Moderate Job Density - 34.6% - Extremely High Quotient
62 Downtown Boise - 53,368 - 40,820 - 37 - Moderately High Job Density - 34.0% - Extremely High Quotient
63 Downtown Akron - Cleveland - 47,394 - 54,271 - 25 - Moderately High Job Density - 19.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
64 Downtown Madison - Madison - 32,170 - 38,451 - 53 - High Job Density - 20.1% - High Quotient
65 Downtown Greensboro - 49,045 - 37,604 - 36 - Moderately High Job Density - 18.7% - Emerging Live-Work Area
66 Downtown Toledo - 31,474 - 37,840 - 54 - High Job Density - 17.8% - Emerging Live-Work Area
67 Downtown Albuquerque - 43,560 - 21,458 - 69 - High Job Density - 19.4% - Emerging Live-Work Area
68 Downtown Lincoln, NE - 34,840 - 37,219 - 45 - Moderately High Job Density - 23.1% - High Quotient
69 Downtown Bakersfield - 39,243 - 48,927 - 27 - Moderately High Job Density - 17.0% - Emerging Live-Work Area
70 Downtown Omaha - 51,579 - 33,619 - 34 - Moderately High Job Density - 21.0% - High Quotient
71 Downtown Jacksonville - 56,302 - 24,743 - 44 - Moderately High Job Density - 10.6% - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
72 Downtown Fort Worth - 80,068 - 13,550 - 49 - Moderately High Job Density - 17.8% - Emerging Live-Work Area
73 Downtown Little Rock - 56,524 - 18,392 - 51 - High Job Density - 32.4% - Extremely High Quotient
74 Downtown Tulsa - 55,728 - 26,073 - 37 - Moderately High Job Density - 25.6% - High Quotient
75 Downtown Stockton, CA - 32,771 - 39,830 - 35 - Moderately High Job Density - 13.5% - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
76 Downtown Tallahassee - 54,658 - 28,954 - 29 - Moderately High Job Density - 35.5% - Extremely High Quotient
77 Downtown Colorado Springs - 41,715 - 34,628 - 26 - Moderately High Job Density - 25.3% - High Quotient
78 Downtown Oklahoma City - 58,833 - 27,868 - 25 - Moderately High Job Density - 18.0% - Emerging Live-Work Area
79 Lubbock, TX - 35,121 - 48,175 - 12 - Lower Job Density - 10.6% - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
80 Downtown Memphis - 46,587 - 33,418 - 23 - Moderate Job Density - 20.2% - High Quotient
81 Downtown El Paso - 36,623 - 25,663 - 42 - Moderately High Job Density - 21.5% - High Quotient
82 Downtown Knoxville, TN - 32,038 - 15,509 - 69 - High Job Density - 18.1% - Emerging Live-Work Area
83 Downtown Savannah, GA - 30,949 - 27,834 - 48 - Moderately High Job Density - 27.9% High Quotient
84 Downtown Chattanooga - 41,397 - 16,300 - 50 - High Job Density - 36.0% - Extremely High Quotient
85 Downtown Birmingham - 54,450 - 20,786 - 33 - Moderately High Job Density - 19.3% - Emerging Live-Work Area
86 Downtown Fort Wayne, IN - 28,585 - 33,270 - 29 - Moderately High Job Density - 12.9% Limited Live-Work Characteristics
87 Downtown Sioux Falls, SD - 34,248 - 30,242 - 22 - Moderate Job Density - 26.3% - High Quotient
88 Downtown Baton Rouge - 34,916 - 31,803 - 17 - Moderate Job Density - 14.7% - Limited Live-Work Characteristics
89 Downtown Winston Salem - 27,556 - 19,557 - 53 - High Job Density - 21.0% High Quotient
90 Downtown Shreveport - 36,183 - 28,097 - 11 - Lower Job Density - 19.8% - Emerging Live-Work Area
91 Downtown Greenville, SC - 29,976 - 19,687 - 44 - Moderately High Job Density - 22.4% High Quotient
92 Downtown Anchorage - 28,987 - 14,013 - 53 - High Job Density - 26.7% High Quotient
93 Downtown Amarillo, TX - 33,019 - 27,980 - 12 - Lower Job Density - 28.9% - High Quotient
94 Downtown Augusta, GA - 30,780 - 22,466 - 31 - Moderately High Job Density - 31.4% Extremely High Quotient
95 Downtown Jackson, MS - 41,952 - 20,869 - 9 - Lower Job Density - 18.7% - Emerging Live-Work Area
96 Downtown Huntsville - 33,787 - 22,442 - 19 - Moderate Job Density - 24.4% - High Quotient
97 Downtown Cedar Rapids, IA - 27,557 - 26,066 - 20 - Moderate Job Density - 19.9% Emerging Live-Work Area
98 Downtown Montgomery, AL - 32,110 - 15,680 - 26 - Moderately High Job Density - 21.1% - High Quotient
99 Downtown Charleston - 29,351 - 23,070 - 17 - Moderate Job Density - 22.7% High Quotient
100 Downtown Mobile - 23,234 - 16,237 - 28 - Moderately High Job Density - 19.8% Emerging Live-Work Area
101 Downtown Corpus Cristi - 31,640 - 14,722 - 21 - Moderate Job Density - 25.6% - High Quotient
Rank simply by # of employed in a downtown.
1 Midtown Manhattan - 1,441,281
2 Downtown Chicago - 609,902
3 Downtown Manhattan - 527,118
4 Downtown DC - 468,907
5 Downtown LA - 372,337
6 Downtown San Francisco - 299,659
7 Downtown Seattle - 294,369
8 Center City Philadelphia - 288,227
9 Downtown Minneapolis - 232,458
10 Downtown Austin - 214,865
11 Downtown Houston - 200,383
12 Downtown Miami - 188,003
13 Downtown Denver - 180,863
14 Downtown Portland - 180,173
15 Downtown Dallas - 167,514
16 Downtown Pittsburgh - 153,224
17 Downtown Sacramento - 151,828
18 Downtown Baltimore - 149,432
19 Downtown Atlanta - 142,759
20 Downtown Indianapolis - 136,417
21 Downtown Milwaukee - 136,277
22 Downtown Honolulu - 129,357
23 Downtown Cleveland - 124,086
24 Downtown Raleigh - 122,005
25 Downtown Columbus - 121,455
26 Downtown Hartford - 120,797
27 Downtown Oakland - 113,550
28 Downtown Phoenix - 107,859
29 Downtown Orlando - 104,290
30 Downtown San Diego - 100,905
31 Downtown St. Louis - 97,167
32 Downtown San Antonio - 96,643
33 Downtown Louisville - 95,581
34 Downtown Cincinnati - 90,271
35 Downtown Charlotte - 89,588
36 Downtown Salt Lake City - 88,812
37 Downtown Tampa - 87,134
38 Downtown Nashville - 86,615
39 Downtown St. Paul, MN - 85,753
40 Downtown Columbia, SC - 85,142
41 Downtown New Orleans - 84,566
42 Downtown Des Moines - 81,339
43 Downtown Richmond - 80,313
44 Downtown Fort Worth - 80,068
45 Downtown Detroit - 78,144
46 Downtown Providence - 77,885
47 Downtown Buffalo - 72,902
48 Downtown San Jose - 70,762
49 Downtown Kansas City - 69,482
50 Downtown Rochester - 68,449
51 Downtown Norfolk - 67,774
52 Downtown Grand Rapids - 67,277
53 Downtown Lexington, KY - 65,206
54 Downtown Las Vegas - 62,054
55 Downtown Oklahoma City - 58,833
56 Downtown Fort Lauderdale - 58,216
57 Downtown Little Rock - 56,524
58 Downtown Jacksonville - 56,302
59 Downtown Albany - 55,936
60 Downtown Tulsa - 55,728
61 Downtown Wichita - 55,571
62 Downtown Tallahassee - 54,658
63 Downtown Birmingham - 54,450
64 Downtown Spokane, WA - 53,621
65 Downtown Boise - 53,368
66 Downtown Omaha - 51,579
67 Downtown Greensboro - 49,045
68 Downtown Tucson - 47,678
69 Downtown Akron - Cleveland - 47,394
70 Downtown Tacoma - Seattle - 46,994
71 Downtown Rochester, MN - 46,704
72 Downtown Memphis - 46,587
73 Downtown Albuquerque - 43,560
74 Downtown Jackson, MS - 41,952
75 Downtown Colorado Springs - 41,715
76 Downtown Chattanooga - 41,397
77 Downtown Syracuse - 39,656
78 Downtown Bakersfield - 39,243
79 Downtown El Paso - 36,623
80 Downtown Shreveport - 36,183
81 Lubbock, TX - 35,121
82 Downtown Baton Rouge - 34,916
83 Downtown Lincoln, NE - 34,840
84 Downtown Sioux Falls, SD - 34,248
85 Downtown Huntsville - 33,787
86 Downtown Amarillo, TX - 33,019
87 Downtown Stockton, CA - 32,771
88 Downtown Madison - Madison - 32,170
89 Downtown Montgomery, AL - 32,110
90 Downtown Knoxville, TN - 32,038
91 Downtown Corpus Cristi - 31,640
92 Downtown Toledo - 31,474
93 Downtown Savannah, GA - 30,949
94 Downtown Augusta, GA - 30,780
95 Downtown Greenville, SC - 29,976
96 Downtown Charleston - 29,351
97 Downtown Anchorage - 28,987
98 Downtown Fort Wayne, IN - 28,585
99 Downtown Cedar Rapids, IA - 27,557
100 Downtown Winston Salem - 27,556
101 Downtown Mobile - 23,234
Rank by residents in/around a downtown.
Rank Employment Node Population in DT + One-Mile Area
1 Midtown Manhattan - 586,652
2 Downtown LA - 174,975
3 Downtown DC - 173,672
4 Downtown Manhattan - 173,179
5 Center City Philadelphia - 170,467
6 Downtown Chicago - 144,051
7 Downtown Miami - 140,889
8 Downtown San Francisco - 134,312
9 Downtown Minneapolis - 132,403
10 Downtown Seattle - 119,590
11 Downtown Oakland - 111,587
12 Downtown Baltimore - 108,725
13 Downtown Portland - 101,416
14 Downtown Hartford - 94,968
15 Downtown San Jose - 94,838
16 Downtown Honolulu - 85,323
17 Downtown Denver - 80,369
18 Downtown Salt Lake City - 80,015
19 Downtown Milwaukee - 74,619
20 Downtown Sacramento - 73,225
21 Downtown New Orleans - 70,525
22 Downtown Providence - 70,508
23 Downtown Pittsburgh - 69,534
24 Downtown Austin - 64,843
25 Downtown Rochester - 63,722
26 Downtown Atlanta - 63,560
27 Downtown Louisville - 59,789
28 Downtown Houston - 58,459
29 Downtown San Diego - 58,287
30 Downtown Norfolk - 57,120
31 Downtown Fort Lauderdale - 56,906
32 Downtown Akron - Cleveland - 54,271
33 Downtown Las Vegas - 53,236
34 Downtown Columbus - 53,110
35 Downtown Indianapolis - 50,349
36 Downtown Richmond - 49,702
37 Downtown Bakersfield - 48,927
38 Lubbock, TX - 48,175
39 Downtown Lexington, KY - 45,508
40 Downtown Columbia, SC - 44,536
41 Downtown Grand Rapids - 43,347
42 Downtown St. Paul, MN - 42,910
43 Downtown Cleveland - 41,236
44 Downtown Boise - 40,820
45 Downtown Buffalo - 40,332
46 Downtown Stockton, CA - 39,830
47 Downtown San Antonio - 39,826
48 Downtown Wichita - 39,274
49 Downtown Madison - Madison - 38,451
50 Downtown Toledo - 37,840
51 Downtown Greensboro - 37,604
52 Downtown Lincoln, NE - 37,219
53 Downtown Dallas - 36,884
54 Downtown Des Moines - 36,518
55 Downtown Colorado Springs - 34,628
56 Downtown Raleigh - 34,359
57 Downtown Omaha - 33,619
58 Downtown Phoenix - 33,554
59 Downtown Memphis - 33,418
60 Downtown Spokane, WA - 33,411
61 Downtown Fort Wayne, IN - 33,270
62 Downtown Orlando - 33,228
63 Downtown Charlotte - 33,140
64 Downtown Tampa - 32,477
65 Downtown Albany - 32,227
66 Downtown Baton Rouge - 31,803
67 Downtown Sioux Falls, SD - 30,242
68 Downtown Syracuse - 29,346
69 Downtown Tallahassee - 28,954
70 Downtown St. Louis - 28,534
71 Downtown Shreveport - 28,097
72 Downtown Amarillo, TX - 27,980
73 Downtown Oklahoma City - 27,868
74 Downtown Savannah, GA - 27,834
75 Downtown Cincinnati - 27,488
76 Downtown Tacoma - Seattle - 26,318
77 Downtown Tulsa - 26,073
78 Downtown Cedar Rapids, IA - 26,066
79 Downtown Nashville - 25,922
80 Downtown El Paso - 25,663
81 Downtown Tucson - 25,316
82 Downtown Jacksonville - 24,743
83 Downtown Charleston - 23,070
84 Downtown Augusta, GA - 22,466
85 Downtown Huntsville - 22,442
86 Downtown Kansas City - 22,122
87 Downtown Albuquerque - 21,458
88 Downtown Jackson, MS - 20,869
89 Downtown Birmingham - 20,786
90 Downtown Rochester, MN - 19,918
91 Downtown Greenville, SC - 19,687
92 Downtown Winston Salem - 19,557
93 Downtown Little Rock - 18,392
94 Downtown Detroit - 17,438
95 Downtown Chattanooga - 16,300
96 Downtown Mobile - 16,237
97 Downtown Montgomery, AL - 15,680
98 Downtown Knoxville, TN - 15,509
99 Downtown Corpus Cristi - 14,722
100 Downtown Anchorage - 14,013
101 Downtown Fort Worth - 13,550
Note that Koreatown/Wilshire in LA is the 2nd highest overall at 223,000 residents, but being a secondary submarket was excluded. Note also that Civic Center in SF has 194,000 residents (4th highest overall behind Brooklyn, NY, which was also excluded) and is only 1 mile from downtown, but was excluded from report due to secondary submarket status.
Densest primary downtowns by jobs/acre - I think this is an important feature that indicates the geographical size of a downtown, can indicate if it's a high-rise downtown, and also indicates important downtown features like "hustle and bustle" and general activity and amenities that come with the territory of having a dense downtown. I think the biggest misleading figure is DTLA, being 4th densest ahead of SF and Philadelphia - simply a factor of tall buildings with large floorplates and structured parking. No "downtown" vibe there, certainly not compared to SF or Philly.
1 Midtown Manhattan - 920
2 Downtown Manhattan - 327
3 Downtown Chicago - 294
4 Downtown LA - 285
5 Downtown San Francisco - 217
6 Center City Philadelphia - 203
7 Downtown Dallas - 175
8 Downtown Houston - 166
9 Downtown Rochester, MN - 155
10 Downtown Seattle - 150
11 Downtown Austin - 135
12 Downtown Pittsburgh - 134
13 Downtown Denver - 133
14 Downtown Tucson - 127
15 Downtown Raleigh - 120
16 Downtown Baltimore - 119
17 Downtown Albany - 114
18 Downtown Milwaukee - 112
19 Downtown Grand Rapids - 111
20 Downtown St. Paul, MN - 103
21 Downtown San Diego - 100
22 Downtown Cincinnati - 98
23 Downtown DC - 97
24 Downtown Phoenix - 89
25 Downtown Atlanta - 88
26 Downtown Tampa - 87
27 Downtown Buffalo - 86
28 Downtown Minneapolis - 85
29 Downtown Rochester - 83
30 Downtown Hartford - 80
31 Downtown Tacoma - Seattle - 80
32 Downtown Syracuse - 76
33 Downtown Kansas City - 75
34 Downtown Norfolk - 74
35 Downtown Oakland - 72
36 Downtown Honolulu - 72
37 Downtown Providence - 72
38 Downtown Albuquerque - 69
39 Downtown Knoxville, TN - 69
40 Downtown Detroit - 67
41 Downtown Richmond - 65
42 Downtown St. Louis - 64
43 Downtown Orlando - 63
44 Downtown Nashville - 63
45 Downtown Portland - 61
46 Downtown Charlotte - 60
47 Downtown New Orleans - 59
48 Downtown San Antonio - 59
49 Downtown Columbus - 58
50 Downtown Spokane, WA - 58
51 Downtown Indianapolis - 57
52 Downtown Fort Lauderdale - 55
53 Downtown Toledo - 54
54 Downtown Sacramento - 53
55 Downtown Madison - Madison - 53
56 Downtown Winston Salem - 53
57 Downtown Anchorage - 53
58 Downtown Miami - 52
59 Downtown Little Rock - 51
60 Downtown Chattanooga - 50
61 Downtown Fort Worth - 49
62 Downtown Savannah, GA - 48
63 Downtown Lincoln, NE - 45
64 Downtown Cleveland - 44
65 Downtown Jacksonville - 44
66 Downtown Greenville, SC - 44
67 Downtown Des Moines - 42
68 Downtown El Paso - 42
69 Downtown Columbia, SC - 41
70 Downtown Louisville - 39
71 Downtown Salt Lake City - 38
72 Downtown Wichita - 38
73 Downtown Boise - 37
74 Downtown Tulsa - 37
75 Downtown Las Vegas - 36
76 Downtown Greensboro - 36
77 Downtown San Jose - 35
78 Downtown Stockton, CA - 35
79 Downtown Omaha - 34
80 Downtown Birmingham - 33
81 Downtown Augusta, GA - 31
82 Downtown Fort Wayne, IN - 29
83 Downtown Tallahassee - 29
84 Downtown Mobile - 28
85 Downtown Bakersfield - 27
86 Downtown Colorado Springs - 26
87 Downtown Montgomery, AL - 26
88 Downtown Akron - Cleveland - 25
89 Downtown Oklahoma City - 25
90 Downtown Lexington, KY - 24
91 Downtown Memphis - 23
92 Downtown Sioux Falls, SD - 22
93 Downtown Corpus Cristi - 21
94 Downtown Cedar Rapids, IA - 20
95 Downtown Huntsville - 19
96 Downtown Baton Rouge - 17
97 Downtown Charleston - 17
98 Lubbock, TX - 12
99 Downtown Amarillo, TX - 12
100 Downtown Shreveport - 11
101 Downtown Jackson, MS - 9
NOTES
1) I doctored Jacksonville because the report also had a "Jacksonville Medical Center" secondary market, and I realized that it was probably "Southbank". I included its figures for jobs and job density because they were higher and I didn't want to turn heads. Their "downtown Jacksonville" actually only has 37,916 jobs (I report 56,302) and job density only at 26 (I report 44 which seems more realistic).
2) Boston is completely missing due to lack of data in MA.
3) Austin, Sacramento, and Raleigh are probably skewed upward unfairly by either their status as state capital and/or university in downtown. I excluded Springfield, IL, Salem, WA and other capitals for this reason as the report indicated they were larger than Jax.
4) Brooklyn, NY is not featured, though was skewed for other similar reasons and noted as such in the report.
5)
Civic Center was excluded from SF despite being adjacent to downtown.
153,098 workers, 174,402 residents, 149 jobs/acre, 19.5% live-work quotient
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University City was excluded from Philadelphia despite being only 1 mile from downtown.
79,368 workers, 116,609 residents, 85 jobs/acre, 16.2% live-work quotient
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UAB Medical Center was excluded from downtown Birmingham despite being next door.
41,712 workers, 18,139 residents, 44 jobs/acre, 25.5% live-work quotient
Job Centers by Metro (I have not filled in all of the data, so there are some gaps and plenty of smaller job centers completely missing, and a few large/notable job centers missing).
Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta - 142,759 - 63,560 - 88 - 21.0%
Midtown Atlanta - 103,767 - 77,535 - 33 - 17.7%
Central Perimeter - Atlanta - 89,968 - 60,788 - - 14.8%
Medical Center Sandy Springs - Atlanta - 35,100 - 19,068 - -
Bay Area
Downtown San Francisco - 299,659 - 134,312 - 217 - 37.9%
Civic Center - San Francisco - 153,098 - 174,402 - 149 - 19.5%
Cisco Campus - San Jose - 141,155 - 54,146 - - 20.9%
Downtown Oakland - 113,550 - 111,587 - 72 - 17.7%
South Office Parks - Santa Clara, CA - 72,233 - 55,211 - -
Downtown San Jose - 70,762 - 94,838 - 35 -
East Palo Alto, CA - San Francisco - 55,144 - 45,747 - -
UCSF Medical Center - San Francisco - 44,704 - 102,296 - 277 -
Downtown Palo Alto - San Francisco - 44,690 - 56,680 - -
North Office Parks - Santa Clara - 31,354 - 32,737 - -
Charlotte
Downtown Charlotte - 89,588 - 33,140 - 60 - 31.2%
South End - Charlotte - 30,077 - 45,200 - -
Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland - 124,086 - 41,236 - 44 - 27.8%
University Circle - Cleveland - 63,192 - 60,676 - -
Downtown Akron - Cleveland - 47,394 - 54,271 - 25 - 19.3%
Dallas-Fort Worth
UT Medical Center - Dallas - 190,285 - 98,502 - - 17.9%
Downtown Dallas - 167,514 - 36,884 - 175 - 21.3%
Office Park - Irving, TX - 93,250 - 26,978 - - 9.7%
Downtown Fort Worth - 80,068 - 13,550 - 49 - 17.8%
Downtown Arlington, TX - Dallas - 57,589 - 49,459 - -
Downtown Plano, TX - Dallas - 52,587 - 56,019 - -
Medical Center - Fort Worth - 48,302 - 45,024 - -
Richardson, TX - Dallas - 41,473 - 40,337 - -
Las Collinas - Dallas - 39,547 - 15,094 - -
North Office Park - Dallas - 38,629 - 21,214 - -
Detroit
Downtown Detroit - 78,144 - 17,438 - 67 - 21.1%
Midtown - Detroit - 72,911 - 36,237 - -
West Troy Mall Area - Detroit - 63,884 - 37,054 - -
Northwest Southfield - Detroit - 50,300 - 28,227 - -
East Office Park Troy, MI - Detroit - 45,443 - 43,912 - -
Southeast Southfield, MI - Detroit - 32,758 - 42,594 - -
Houston
Downtown Houston - 200,383 - 58,459 - 166 - 18.0%
Uptown Houston - 129,929 - 51,380 - 95 - 17.5%
TX Medical Center - Houston - 127,330 - 65,940 - 80 - 25.5%
Greenway Plaza - Houston - 103,963 - 51,496 - 98 - 11.2%
Los Angeles
Downtown LA - 372,337 - 174,975 - 285 - 19.4%
Office Park - Irvine, CA - 234,246 - 160,250 - 22 - 19.6%
Westwood/UCLA - Los Angeles - 140,986 - 81,305 - 132 - 16.8%
Downtown Pasadena, CA - 89,093 - 122,338 - - 15.7%
Hollywood - Los Angeles - 76,118 - 138,193 - -
Southern Office Park - San Bernardino, CA - 71,232 - 50,796 - -
Wilshire/Koreatown - Los Angeles - 71,229 - 223,487 - 79 -
Downtown Burbank - 60,850 - 71,596 - 118 -
Medical Center - Irvine, CA - 60,432 - 36,805 - -
Downtown Santa Ana, CA - 59,360 - 123,664 - 79 -
Northeast Office Parks - Ontario, CA - 59,149 - 37,054 - -
Downtown Long Beach - 45,845 - 112,113 - -
Downtown Torrance, CA - Los Angeles - 35,757 - 55,843 - -
Downtown Riverside - Los Angeles - 35,336 - 30,505 - -
Torrance Office Park - Los Angeles - 34,020 - 61,683 - -
Central Office Parks Ontario - Los Angeles - 33,978 - 51,177 - -
Nashville
Downtown Nashville - 86,615 - 25,922 - 63 - 16.7%
West End - Nashville - 80,751 - 45,218 - - 33.0%
New York
Midtown Manhattan - 1,441,281 - 586,652 - 920 - 55.9%
Downtown Manhattan - 527,118 - 173,179 - 327 - 23.6%
Brooklyn - 350,124 - 202,093 - 404 - 12.7%
Downtown Newark - 109,274 - 174,818 - 90 - 19.2%
Downtown Jersey City - 93,171 - 160,186 - - 12.6%
Hampton Roads
Downtown Norfolk - 67,774 - 57,120 - 74 - 30.1%
Downtown Chesapeake City, VA - Norfolk - 52,576 - 54,846 - -
Newport News - 31,430 - 30,724 - -
Philadelphia
Center City Philadelphia - 288,227 - 170,467 - 203 - 40.7%
University City - Philadelphia - 79,368 - 116,609 - 85 -
Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix - 107,859 - 33,554 - 89 - 15.3%
North Downtown - Phoenix - 79,551 - 44,590 - -
Downtown Tempe, AZ - 76,936 - 58,146 - -
Downtown Scottsdale - Phoenix - 48,016 - 58,490 - -
Downtown Mesa, AZ - 30,675 - 59,925 - -
The Triad
Downtown Greensboro - 49,045 - 37,604 - 36 - 18.7%
Downtown Winston Salem - 27,556 - 19,557 - 53 - 21.0%
Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh - 153,224 - 69,534 - 134 - 31.3%
Oakland - Pittsburgh - 79,896 - 55,591 - 134 -
San Antonio
Downtown San Antonio - 96,643 - 39,826 - 59 - 17.3%
UT Medical Center - San Antonio - 84,512 - 53,208 - -
San Diego
Downtown San Diego - 100,905 - 58,287 - 100 - 19.0%
UCSD Medical Center San Diego - 80,294 - 55,074 - -
Seattle
Downtown Seattle - 294,369 - 119,590 - 150 - 41.0%
Redmond, WA - Seattle - 62,715 - 30,208 - -
Everett, WA - Seattle - 55,992 - 77,789 - -
Outer Bellevue, WA - Seattle - 54,069 - 36,911 - -
Downtown Tacoma - Seattle - 46,994 - 26,318 - 80 - 19.0%
UW - Seattle - 45,197 - 70,358 - -
Downtown Bellevue - Seattle - 41,270 - 14,759 - 94 -
Downtown Redmond, WA - Seattle - 35,065 - 47,599 - -
South Florida
Downtown Miami - 188,003 - 140,889 - 52 - 23.9%
Downtown Fort Lauderdale - 58,216 - 56,906 - 55 - 19.2%
Boca Raton - South Florida - 41,773 - 31,803 - -
Tampa Bay
Downtown Tampa - 87,134 - 32,477 - 87 - 16.3%
Downtown St. Petersburg - 31,294 - 38,674 - -
Twin Cities
Downtown Minneapolis - 232,458 - 132,403 - 85 - 34.9%
Downtown St. Paul, MN - 85,753 - 42,910 - 103 - 17.3%
Washington DC
Downtown DC - 468,907 - 173,672 - 97 - 50.5%
Tysons Corner - 117,817 - 79,717 - - 18.1%
Georgetown - Washington DC - 54,598 - 63,644 - -
Downtown Alexandria, VA - Washington DC - 47,306 - 46,694 - 78 -
VA Medical Center - Washington DC - 46,962 - 98,841 - -
Ballston-Arlington - Washington, DC - 41,121 - 48,718 - 82 -
Rosslyn-Arlington - Washington DC - 31,555 - 17,876 - -
These maps are very revealing when it comes to the transportation discussion
Quote from: simms3 on October 08, 2013, 11:24:50 PM
Cleveland has a downtown and a separate node around the "anchor institutions" near the Cleveland Clinic:
(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/cleveland.png)
Cleveland's 6.8-mile Health Line BRT runs between the downtown (124k employees) and University Circle (63k employees) nodes. University Circle is a larger employment center than downtown Jax (56k employees). With the Health Line, you have a situation where there are viable activity centers of urban context on each end, plus you benefit from continued expansion of anchor institutions like Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, etc. BRT advocates label this TOD but in reality it's all about the land use, context and implementing transit to support what's already there. The dangerous thing for cities like Jax is getting caught up on the hype, believing the Health Line BRT is the reason for anchor institution expansions and that this experience can be easily repeated here.
It can, we'll just need UNF, JU, Mayo Clinic and UF Health Jacksonville to all decide to move to Philips Highway, between JTB and downtown. Good luck with that one.
Quote Atlanta (left) has multiple roughly equal jobs centers, while Jacksonville (at right) is decentralized with no single jobs center to speak of:
(http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2013/10/06/atl%20jax.png)
Looks can be deceiving. The Jax and Atlanta maps don't appear to be the same scale. Upon second look, this stuff isn't even apples to apples. The employment number ranges for each category are different in every single map.
If the Atlanta map were shown at the same scale and included job centers surrounding the actual city limits, it would look more like Jax's. In fact, most cities in this country would. For this to be more credible, the data being presented should be at the same scale for all cities.
Anyway, even the Jax map in its current state is eye opening when it comes to incrementally improving the local transit network. It shows that the city's largest concentration of jobs is within the urban core from Riverside to Brentwood/New Springfield. The densest collection of jobs appears to be in the Southbank.
If anything, this makes a case for getting all levels/modes of transit in the urban core working right and incrementally expanding out from there. Right now, we have a sick urban core (that's much more than just downtown). Correctly, re-connecting this compact area together and modifying policies to make sure infrastructure investment and land use policies support one another, will naturally do wonders for downtown and several neighborhoods surrounding it.
You also get more bang for your buck from an operations standpoint. Politically, it will be a challenge since many of the neighborhoods that need better service are areas of little political influence and not popular with people who consider themselves choice riders. It would be interesting to see the employment center data presented in this study, combined with the mapping of JTA transit lines, color coded by ridership levels.