Downtown Embryos, Continued: Memphis
by Andrei CodrescuDowntown Baton Rouge is trying something along those lines. So is Tacoma, Wash. So is Milwaukee. So are dozens of other municipalities in the U.S. There are differences between them, but here are the similarities: They are all trying to return to the golden age of their best undemolished buildings; they are all turning back to the river or the lake and dreaming of public promenades and boardwalks; they all see festivals as essential to bringing people back from their ex-urban caves; they are all betting on the young and the old who need density, culture and public transportation. In the past, many cities failed to revive their wasted downtowns, but they are learning. In Memphis, the first riverfront townhouses were offered at incredibly cheap prices. In Milwaukee a breathtakingly beautiful new art museum magnetizes the whole lakefront. Add to that public transportation, several grocery stores and pharmacies, art galleries, and one ill-lit street zoned for all-night entertainment, and you can have your city back. All it takes is faith and cash. I'm no genius at business, but making a fortune in embryonic downtowns is a no-brainer if you've got a decade or so.
