As a fan of cities and urban centers, I have long anticipated the start of my study tour to over 100 North American downtowns. Last Friday this ambitious undertaking officially commenced in downtown San Jose, California, our nations' tenth largest city and the epicenter of Silicon Valley, arguably the technology capital of the world.



Like a seasoned social science researcher, my charge was to qualitatively assess the pulse of downtown San Jose at ground level, with special attention… Continue

The brainchild of urban thinker Michael Scott, Downtown 2011 is a nationwide study tour chronicling the role of downtowns as the epicenters of civic vitality. Downtowns long have been a place where people come together to talk, commune, and support one another. This trip is intended to help restore the rich civic connection and vitality that once defined our urban centers



During this tour Michael will capture select cities’ sights, scenes and culture with best-case practices… Continue

Exploring the historic role of America's downtowns as centers of civic connection has long been my labor of love. Nothing engages me more than the opportunity to visit one of these locales, seeing first-hand its significance — past, present and future.



When I first discovered that the 2009 International Downtown Association conference would be held in Milwaukee, my enthusiasm to attend was tepid. Having visited the city's downtown core in the late ‘80s, I was somewhat familiar with… Continue