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CNU 23DALLAS/FORT WORTH 4/29-5/2/2015»»» 
5 Ways to Bring People Back to Downtown: Examples from Orlando, Florida
Submitted by globalsiteplans on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 9:17am
The following post comes courtesy of Global Site Plans' The Grid. CNU and Global Site Plans recently teamed up to syndicate Grid content, as its contingent of writers presents a view on the opportunities and issues of urbanization all across the world. CNU will carry select posts from the Grid direct on the CNU Salons.
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Orlando, Florida’s downtown is undergoing what you might call a “residential renaissance.” As one of the leaders in this national trend, Orlando is seeing faster growth in its downtown than in its suburbs.
Economists suspect thousands of apartment units will be added to Orlando’s urban core over the next four years, with a handful of projects already under construction. This is great news for the city, since urban planners consider dense development patterns more economically powerful and more environmentally responsible.
So, how can we encourage people to move to our downtowns? Here are five ways downtown Orlando is attracting new residents:
1. Transit
As we saw in a previous post entitled “How to Revolutionize a City’s Transit System: An Orlando, Florida Case Study,” new rail and bus projects are transforming the way Central Floridians get around. Living and working close to a transit stop is seen as an asset, making well-connected developments easier to market.
- Building to watch: Central Station mixed-use TOD
2. Jobs
A major draw for any downtown resident is the close proximity to their place of work. In Orlando, some of these include governmental facilities, schools, sporting venues, and, of course, the Central Business District offices.
- Building to watch: Sky House apartments; The Sevens mixed-use project
3. Vibe
People move to downtowns because they want to experience everything from trendy restaurants to quality people-watching. They want to be close to major venues, museums, and events.
- Building to watch: Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center
4. Convenience
Downtowns generally represent the epicenter of a city, with major highways and transportation hubs making it easy to get just about anywhere. Furthermore, apartments are replacing pre-bust condominiums, allowing a wider audience to live downtown.
- Buildings to watch: Steel House and NORA apartments
5. Value
Usually we think of living downtown as expensive. However, downtowns are looking to diversify their populations by adding affordable housing, workforce housing, and student housing. On top of that, rents in downtown Orlando can rival those in other parts of the region.
- Buildings to watch: Health Village and Affordable Housing apartments
Whether to live in or just to visit, what attracts you to an urban environment?
To read the original post, written by Alex Lenhoff, visit Global Site Plans.
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