A Thriving Downtown Metropolis

The question is: What does it take to sustain a thriving downtown metropolis?

Today I went to get a trim. This is quite possibly the most unlikely place to find an answer to such a unique political/architectural/socioeconomic question, but i found one. So, the obvious answer to the questions can be found in several parts as follows:

Commerce - first and foremost, I think, is the need for "downtown" to be a destination. There has to be a reason for people to spend time downtown. This includes, among other things, restaurants, shops, groceries, bars, nightclubs, etc.
Housing - second, adequate and affordable housing is needed to sustain those who would live/work/play downtown. Currently Jacksonville has plenty of housing downtown, but few units are affordable.
Transportation - this is the most crucial for a successful downtown metropolis. Those living and working downtown need a reliable way in and around the downtown area. Reliable public transportation should be the ultimate goal of any city that wishes to grow into a functioning metropolis.

Our city is a prime example of what NOT to do with public transportation. Though Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the US due to it's land mass. Everything is spread so far out that effective public transportation becomes a colossal undertaking. And, currently, the city is totally unwilling to spend the time and money required to investigate such a thing.

Jacksonville, even with it's geographic short comings, has a downtown that is rapidly on the rise. But it is limited by the shortsightedness of it's governing bodies. If Jacksonville is going to realize it's potential as a thriving metropolis than change has to be affected. And it needs to be affected by the Architecture community. It is falling to our responsibility to re-educate the public, the clients, the developers and the city officials on good and responsible design for the future of Jacksonville.

I've been preaching about this for months it seems, but it holds true. There are projects on the boards that can go a long way to beginning this process, but they are too few and too far between. There have been others, like the Maritime Museum, that could springboard real change in areas that need something to help sustain them. It's time to show people what can really be done no matter how small the budget. I put it to all Architects and Designers, re-educate your clients. Show them the value of good design; show them what is possible when you use just a little bit of budget and a lot of imagination.