Anchor Districts: The New Downtown

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to identify the potential for non-downtowns to be successful mixed-use districts
• How to create economic-mobility opportunities for local residents and district employees
• How to faciliate cooperation between large institutional stakeholders, smaller local businesses, neighbors, and political representatives to create a great place for everyone

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Education, medical, and arts institutions were often clustered outside of downtown to foster cooperation and collaboration, even if that located these high-value institutions farther away from the population. Today, these eds, meds, and arts districts often host as many jobs as the central business district, but without the transportation infrastructure or placemaking that created unique downtowns. How do these districts position themselves to support and not compete with downtown? How do anchor districts establish their own identities, when they often don't have the infrastructure or regional support of other neighborhoods? Hear from districts in both urban and suburban contexts about their opportunities and issues, and how they've addressed both to create places that will thrive.