(https://photos.moderncities.com/Cities/Orlando/Orlando-October-2018/i-7jkThNL/0/9d5bd338/L/20181013_233145-L.jpg)
QuoteOver the last 20 years, Downtown Orlando has emerged as a diversified Central Florida hub for commerce, government and finance. While many cities continue to struggle to establish a flourishing urban setting, Orlando has witnessed its skyline double in size and the economic impact of transit oriented development associated around its two commuter rail stations and LYMMO bus rapid transit system.
Full article: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-night-in-downtown-orlando/
Some of those pics make it look very vibrant. Others make it look practically like a ghost town.
Glad to see Orlando is doing well and has more to offer than just the theme parks.
Yes, there are pockets that are livelier than others. Orange Avenue in the heart of the city is pretty vibrant. The area around LYNX Central Station is not. However, that might change when the urban campus UCF is building nearby finally opens. They also have a lot more vagrants than people in Jax could stomach....yet they aren't keeping people from coming and investing in downtown.
Quote from: thelakelander on October 23, 2018, 10:47:04 AM
Yes, there are pockets that are livelier than others. Orange Avenue in the heart of the city is pretty vibrant. The area around LYNX Central Station is not. However, that might change when the urban campus UCF is building nearby finally opens. They also have a lot more vagrants than people in Jax could stomach....yet they aren't keeping people from coming and investing in downtown.
I'm sure it will only get better.
I'd assume vagrants and cities go hand in hand - especially in warmer climates. But it's only an 'issue' when it's only vagrants hanging around the city center. When you have shoppers, tourists, workers, a thriving 'cafe culture', etc. no one really takes note.
Jax's leadership travels the country yearly to Denver, Kansas City, etc to look for ways to stimulate development Downtown. I've said it before and will say it again. They simply need to travel the state to look at what other places have done, as Jacksonville is widely considered to have the least vibrant Downtown in the state.
It's actually quite simple really. When you look at many of the successful Downtown's and urban entertainment districts in the state, they are all centered around one key street, with activity radiating a block or two off those streets. In Orlando you have Orange Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale-Las Olas, West Palm Beach-Clematis Street, Delray Beach-Atlantic Avenue, Winter Park-Park Avenue, New Smyrna Beach-Flagler Avenue, Key West-Duval Street, and so on.
Downtown does have a decent amount of bars and restaurants overall, but they are scattered and not easily found by visitors. I can't tell you how many people not from Jax have told me they went out DT and couldn't find more than a couple of bars or places to eat. When you have an actual dining/entertainment district, people know exactly where to go, there are more opportunities to create a street festival type environment or host events, and the uses feed off each other. There are some very easy opportunities to make Bay Street an amazing entertainment district, but unfortunately nobody at the City has any vision...
The one thing I always noticed about downtown Orlando as apposed to Jax how lit up Orlando's downtown is. Jax's downtown looks like a black hole both from a distance and on the streets.