ABSTRACT

Twenty-first-century downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods have been in a difficult situation. What was once the central business district (CBD) is no longer the center of employment. Most major metropolitan regions now contain multiple business districts and dozens of municipalities that vie for residents, jobs, and commercial activity. Yet the downtown continues to be symbolically important within the region in the competition for global capital, and growth coalitions there work to retain their prominence as the urban center in the face of suburban growth. Downtowns in small cities also must compete with regional malls and suburban development, while seeking to preserve their identity as the city’s symbolic center.