I am conducting research (for a class) to explore what affect new housing in downtown central business districts has on existing urban neighborhoods adjacent to the CBD that are struggling to attract middle-class residents back to an urban lifestyle. In particular, I am interested in determining if, in cities like Dayton, Cincinnati and other midwestern cities, which continue to experience out migration from the urban core to outlying suburbs, new housing construction in areas that historically did not have residential land uses (like Dayton’s CDB) have a negative affect on these adjacent neighborhoods that are trying to revitalize. My working premise is that there are a limited number of people who are interested in urban living, particularly in the midwest, and that these new downtown housing initiatives draw residents and resources away from existing urban neighborhoods.

 

So, I am posting this to ask your thoughts/opinions/experiences on this subject. Do you feel that the push to provide new housing downtown (through both new construction and building renovation) where no housing historically existed has had a negative affect on revitaizing adjacent neighborhoods, by leeching the limited resident and resources pool away from the traditional urban neighborhoods? Or, has the exposure to urban living that these high profile projects provide generated more interest in all kinds of downtown living, including in traditional urban neighborhoods? Or is there another angle to this issue that I am missing?

 

I would appreciate any thoughts that you might have. Information can be either quantifiable or anecdotal. You can email me directly ([email protected]) or simply post to forum, which could lead to some interesting discussions. My thanks in advance for any assistance you can give. I am focusing on Dayton, Ohio but also looking at other midwestern cities.

my quick reaction, as a downtown Cincy worker, is that it is not a zero-sum game, where a set number of resources must be divided amongst whoever happens to live there.  In my 4 years downtown I have seen many (2-3 dozen?) abandoned and nearly delapidated buildings go online as lofts and apartments. While some stores have closed (Closson's for example) I am seeing many other small boutique stores open: furniture, clothes, convenience stores.  True, they come & go, but IMO these new dollars, and the light/attention they shine on the CBD and surrounding area is part of the long term viability of the city.

 

I tend to disagree with your theory that downtown residential development "steals" the few urban minded residents away from adjacent neighborhoods.  My experience has been (in Cleveland) that many people downtown, including myself, grew up in the surrounding suburbs. Therefore, these people are entirely new to urban living.

 

Even though Cleveland's urban neighborhoods do compete for residents to a certain extent, you really cannot lump all the urban neighborhoods together in one group. Downtown living is an entirely unique option since single family homes are not available and the majority of residences are large apartment buildings. Since single family homes are not an option, downtowns appeal to a younger demographic.

 

If you have any questions about Cleveland urban living I'm more than happy to answer them (even though most people who post here are a lot more knowledgeable than me!)

 

 

 

I also disagree with the premise.  Cleveland and its immediate neighborhoods offer different styles of urban living.  I just signed a contract to purchase a home in Ohio City (a neighborhood just outside of downtown Cleveland).  We never considered downtown because it does not offer the amenities that my wife, myself and our 7-month old son need. 

 

You will find some people who will choose between downtown and Ohio City, but in the end the improvement in each neighborhood develops a symbiotic relationship that will increase the appeal of each. 

 

Dayton, however, is a smaller market.  I think that it would be more difficult for that city to develop many different nodes of improved urban life. 

Downtown = no yard, surrounding neighborhoods = yards. Thats one way of looking at it, you get urban townhouses in the neighborhoods with a little squat of land to sit on, something that a downtown can't do. As for multifamily warehouse renovation type of buildings the experience can be the same. The downtown will typicaly have the higher priced units, and then the neighborhoods can usualy offer that at lower price point. Personaly in the scenario of downtown vs other neighborhoods, I think the other neighborhoods win more often because there is more options for people to buy into. There is a greater variety of housing choice in the neighborhoods than a downtown.

Dayton, however, is a smaller market.  I think that it would be more difficult for that city to develop many different nodes of improved urban life.  

 

I don't think it would be "difficult" to improve the urban life but simply get suburbanites to understand it.  There is a better chance for Cleveland to attract suburbanites (as it has a larger suburban population) than it is for Dayton, which has less people, thus less of a chance for suburbanites to move to the city.  I think it would be quite easy for a city like Dayton to improve the actual core (which it is somewhat doing) and "urban life," as it has less factors to worry about.

 

The key is to get the Jeff_in_Dayton's and the PigBoy's to move back to the city to only nurture the life.

I look at this question from the opposite view point. If the adjacent neighborhood, in Cincinnati's case OTR, is unsafe and on the decline, it does take, and has taken, CBD down with it. Many people coming in from the suburbs look at all of this as "downtown" and do not separate the two. So if one can have a negative effect on the other, then I believe it can also have an equally positive effect as well.

 

Many of the high profile residential and commercial developments in CBD lends to an overall positive image for all of "downtown". I work for a company that is very active in CBD real estate and I myself focus on OTR just outside of the CBD. We applaud every new development that CBD roles out because it lends new life to our urban core, OTR included. It is not a zero sum game because surrounding communities can capitalize on new residential and new businesses through increased foot and drive by traffic as well as new transportation measures such as the proposed rail car going through OTR up to UC and back to CBD. Bottom line, more people in the area means a thriving community for all of us. The catalyst affect is not limited by Central Pkwy.