PHYSICAL AMENITIES
Many economic development efforts seek to increase the amenity value of a region. These efforts can take various forms, including building sports stadiums, supporting cultural institutions such as performing arts theaters and museums, or developing historic districts, parks or waterfront areas. Public investment is generally justified by arguing that such projects spur economic growth by attracting visitors not only to a set destination, but also to the area surrounding the destination, thereby serving as a catalyst for additional development. Furthermore, an attractive amenity package may influence the decision of companies or individuals seeking a permanent home.
Efforts to exploit natural amenities are common among economic development strategies. Taking advantage of opportunities provided by the environment often serves to attract tourist dollars. This is true for communities located along oceans, lakes or rivers as well as those in mountains or forests.
Examples:
- The River Walk, San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio has served as a model for cities seeking ways to capitalize on their environmental assets. At one time the San Antonio River, which runs through the heart of downtown, was seen as a danger to the city. Today it is the most visited tourist attraction in Texas.
After a 1921 flood that killed 50 people and caused millions of dollars in property damage, there were public outcries to cover the river with concrete and let the riverbed serve as a sewer. The efforts of a small group of women saved the river. The group later formed the nucleus of the San Antonio Conservation Society.
Construction of the River Walk began in 1937 as a WPA project; design plans were supported by a district tax. For many years, the River Walk was primarily a park, but commercial development began in preparation for the World's Fair in 1968. Development has continued since that time and is still taking place.
The River Walk is now a three-level entertainment complex that includes shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, nightclubs and hotels. There is an outdoor theater where the audience sits on one side of the riverbank while actors perform one the other. The river also hosts two annual parades: the Fiesta River Parade and Holiday River Parade, which literally float down the waterway. Amidst all the activity, there are stretches that remain quiet and park-like. Visitors can also take riverboat tours. The River Walk has been credited with bringing new life and economic vitality to downtown San Antonio. San Antonio Tourist. For more information: www.sanantoniotourist.com.
Cultural institutions have the ability to attract a socially and economically diverse group of patrons. Because these institutions are often located in the heart of urban areas, they can be particularly helpful to central cities. Local leaders have begun to recognize how museums and theaters contribute to a city's vitality and their potential to spur further development.
Examples:
- Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio
By all accounts, the redevelopment of the Playhouse Square area has been a tremendous success for Cleveland. It has been credited with being a catalyst for downtown revitalization and has contributed to the much-improved image of the city center.
Efforts to restore this block of four historic theaters date back to the 1970s when two of the theaters were scheduled for demolition to make way for parking lots. Community activists stepped in to fight the plans, eventually leading to the formation of the Playhouse Square Foundation in 1973, a nonprofit organization created to help raise money for the renovation of the theaters. The fight to save the theaters was not easily won, but the foundation was persistent.
In 1978, the theaters were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Throughout the 1980s three of the theaters were restored and reopened. Renovation of the fourth theater was completed in 1998. The following year, Playhouse Square Foundation acquired an additional theater and has plans to renovate it as well (although this theater was in reasonably good condition and is the current venue for the longest-running show in Cleveland history).
Playhouse Square attracts over one million patrons a year, drawing many visitors from outside the region. It is the second largest performing arts center in the country, after New York City's Lincoln Center.
Despite these successes, redevelopment of the theater district as a whole was slow to emerge. Playhouse Square Foundation again stepped up to the plate. It expanded its role and became a developer, forming a number of holding companies to achieve its goals. It now owns a hotel, a restaurant and office buildings in the blocks that surround the theaters.
Private investors finally began to take notice. Several projects are currently underway, including the renovation of two apartment buildings. Playhouse Square has been cited as one of the nation's best examples of culture helping to transform a struggling inner city. Brown, T. (2002, January 20). The show does go on in Playhouse Square. The Plain Dealer, p. A1, A12-A13.
Sports and Recreation
The world's leading cities have long been associated with recreation, culture, sports, consumption and "fun." When suburbanization and economic change threatened the role and identity of cities, many looked to recreation and hospitality to reverse undesirable trends. Today, there is virtually no city that has not implemented a tourist, sports, recreation or "fun" strategy to facilitate redevelopment and economic growth and to restore the image of its downtown area as a regional center.
Examples:
- City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind.
No city has focused as extensively on sports and hospitality for redevelopment and economic expansion as Indianapolis. Across three decades and the administrations of two different mayors, Indianapolis developed and implemented an aggressive program that focused on amateur sporting events and organizations, professional sports teams, conventions, the hospitality industry and retail consumption.
The amateur sports element was designed to stimulate new development through the attraction of sports governing bodies and the hosting of national and international events. The professional sports strategy involved substituting downtown recreational activities for those in the suburbs to bring more residents to the downtown area.
To implement the strategy, considerable resources went into building
new facilities. Between 1974 and 1999, more than $3 billion was spent
on new construction either directly or indirectly related to the sports
strategy. Indianapolis devoted some public money to downtown development,
but nearly two-thirds of the costs were covered by the private sector.
As a result of this investment, Indianapolis has succeeded in attracting
a number of amateur and professional sporting events. Rosentraub, M. (2000,
January). Indianapolis, A Sports Strategy, and the Redefinition of Downtown
Redevelopment. Paper presented at the conference of the North American
Institute for Comparative Urban Research, Barcelona, Spain.
see corresponding section in What Works