Most Improved Midwest Downtown Last 15 Years?

16711 Views 52 Replies 22 Participants Last post by Aaron W, Nov 14, 2017

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · Oct 5, 2017

Most Improved Midwest Downtown In The Last 15 Years?
Not a city vs city thread. No bashing other cities.
Does not include Chicago!
Please only post a positive comment with details, stats, etc. for the city you think has the most improved downtown in the last 10-15 years.
With your vote/post please include the following criteria within the last 10-15 years:

1) Downtown Population Growth last 10-15 Years

2) Total Downtown Population To date last 10-15 Years

3) New Large Projects Added last 10-15 Years
(Office/Residential/Civic include sq ft, height, # residences, etc)

4) Skyline Impact/Change last 10-15 Years

5) New Dedicated Transit 10-15 Years

6) "Other" Criteria You Deem Pertinent

1 - 20 of 53 Posts

Steely Dan

· #2 · Oct 6, 2017 (Edited)

I'll vote for:

Chicago.

But it's not in the poll, so I'll vote for:

Milwaukee.

But it's not in the poll, so I'll vote for:

This poll is stupid.

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Reactions: 5

ColDayMan

· #3 · Oct 6, 2017

Of those listed, Detroit is the clear winner IMO. Milwaukee really should be on the poll as it also has a legit case.

Reactions: 1

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 6, 2017

A moderator can add Milwaukee as an option if they like.
I had them in the first post, then it wouldn't let me add a poll as it wasn't completed within 5 minutes. Started the new thread and thought I had brought them all over.

Also, please don't vote or comment without following the simple criteria guide lines. It isn't rocket science, list your reasons why using the criteria I laid out which seems simple enough. :bash:

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 6, 2017

ColDayMan said:
Of those listed, Detroit is the clear winner IMO. Milwaukee really should be on the poll as it also has a legit case.

With your vote/post please include the following criteria within the last 10-15 years:

1) Downtown Population Growth last 10-15 Years

2) Total Downtown Population To date last 10-15 Years

3) New Large Projects Added last 10-15 Years
(Office/Residential/Civic include sq ft, height, # residences, etc)

4) Skyline Impact/Change last 10-15 Years

5) New Dedicated Transit 10-15 Years

6) "Other" Criteria You Deem Pertinent

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nasa35

· #6 · Oct 6, 2017

lol, detroit....smfh

Bond James Bond

· #7 · Oct 6, 2017

KC2SD said:
A moderator can add Milwaukee as an option if they like...

Unfortunately, it's not possible to edit a poll. At least not that I can figure out.

Somnifor

· #8 · Oct 6, 2017

Downtown Minneapolis was healthy 15 years ago but it has had a massive amount of development since then. The Mill District went from a sea of parking lots to an almost completely filled in residential neighborhood. The Warehouse District has lost dozens of parking lots for new buildings. Downtown East which was also a sea of parking lots is now seeing a lot of development. The Metrodome was torn down and instead we have Target Field for the Twins and US Bank Stadium for the Vikings. We have a couple new landmark cultural buildings - the Guthrie Theater by Jean Nouvel and the new downtown library by Caesar Pelli. We have added Mill Ruins Park, Gold Medal Park and the Commons park. The Green Line light rail has been built to connect downtown Minneapolis to the U of M and Downtown St Paul. A lot has happened.

Reactions: 2

Cocory

· #9 · Oct 6, 2017

I say Madison because downtown is full of mid rise buildings all over the place. It’s dense and looks very nice. All due to epic in Verona and the population is on a steady rise Also the city was voted best place to live multiple times the past few years.

Major Deegan

· #10 · Oct 7, 2017

Somnifor said:
Downtown Minneapolis was healthy 15 years ago but it has had a massive amount of development since then. The Mill District went from a sea of parking lots to an almost completely filled in residential neighborhood.

It should be noted that Minneapolis also doubled its downtown population from 20,000 in 2000 to ~ 40,000 today. We are still on track to hit 70,000 by 2025. I don't know of any other Midwestern downtown outside Chicago that comes close to that.

Reactions: 1

Jonathan Carver

· #11 · Oct 7, 2017

I have to go with Minneapolis just based on the sheer amount of residential and office construction the past decade or so. There aren't any new supertalls, but if you add up the low to mid-rises, it is a lot (sorry don't know exact sq. footage). When you go down Washington Ave or the North Loop and Downtown East, night and day difference from 15 years ago and there are new construction cranes popping up all the time. Plus add the U of M area and Northeast; there is a lot of development going on. Additionally, the new light rail and even more improved bike lane/path system. Does get negative points for a continuing crime issue in certain parts of Downtown. Next most improved, I would say Kansas City for sure with an honorable mention to Des Moines.

Reactions: 1

towerpower123

· #12 · Oct 7, 2017

Detroit for its rise from the bottom to actually regain a variety of bars and restaurants. Minneapolis for its overall downtown quality.

Paule

· #13 · Oct 7, 2017

Steely Dan said:
I'll vote for:

Chicago.

But it's not in the poll, so I'll vote for:

Milwaukee.

But it's not in the poll, so I'll vote for:

This poll is stupid.

Yep, I'll also vote for "This poll is stupid" because without Chicago or Milwaukee in the poll you rendered it meaningless.

Reactions: 3

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #14 · Oct 9, 2017

Paule said:
Yep, I'll also vote for "This poll is stupid"

And yet you just had to post on a thread you think is "stupid."
Typical. :bash::bash::bash::bash:

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #15 · Oct 9, 2017

The most improved downtown over the last 15 years is Kansas City.

1) New and Future Residents
Besides dozens of rehabbed warehouse buildings completed in prior years, 5,853 total new residential units have been completed or under construction/scheduled to start (2016-2018) more than doubling the downtown population.

2) Skyline and Large Projects
- Power & Light District added 50+ restaurants, shops ($850 Million)
- Kauffman Performing Arts Center ($413 Million)
- Sprint Center Arena ($276 Million)
- H&R Block Tower ($308 Million)
- One Light Residential Tower ($75 Million)
- Two Light Residential Tower ($105 Million)
- ARTerra Residential Tower ($40 Million)
- Loews Convention Hotel ($311 Million breaks ground 4th Qtr 2017)
- Three Light Residential Tower ($120 Million breaks ground 4th Qtr 2017)
These and other new construction have completely transformed the skyline from the south.

3) KC Streetcar
- 3+ million riders after a 1 1/2 year of opening
- Expansion to the Plaza/UMKC to break ground 2018

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MKE-MSP-CHI

· #16 · Oct 9, 2017 (Edited)

I mean, it's really no secret that MPLS has done an incredible job. Minneapolis might not have added all that much height but it certainly has added a LOT of density. My vote would go to them. I love the Mill District area. When I went to school at the U between 2003-2007, it was a deadzone. Now there are parks and almost every square inch of parking lot has been replaced with new residential / mixed-use. Very impressive to see a neighborhood essentially created from scratch. I don't know enough about about Des Moines, Columbus or Detroit to comment - but just from this board, what I've seen has been impressive.

With that said, no city in the country has added more residents downtown and in 1.5 mile radius than Chicago. We have 54 cranes downtown for highrise construction right now to say nothing of 10+ projects valued at more than $500M EACH. This city is going gangbusters with new construction and mega-projects on the scale of nowhere else save NYC.

I also don't understand not including Milwaukee or Grand Rapids. It's been pretty obvious from your previous statements that you aren't a fan of Milwaukee, or at least don't like people who post about it. Milwaukee has added a ton of residential units in downtown on both sides of the river and in very close in neighborhoods. The Beerline neighborhood didn't even exist 10 years ago, and the riverbank is close to being 100% built up. Not to mention that Milwaukee's skyline added 4 new in towers in its top 10, meaning Milwaukee is one of very few cities that has added both density and height.

Grand Rapids has 1.3M in their CSA and is significantly larger than Omaha, Des Moines, and Madison.

KC can make a compelling case as well - but if you honestly just designed this poll to then say, "KC is the winner", then you should have just made a thread about that. If we aren't including Chicago, Minneapolis is the winner overall not KC.

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Reactions: 2

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 9, 2017

MKE-MSP-CHI said:
I mean, it's really no secret that MPLS has done an incredible job.

Agreed, But KC is the "most improved" because of where it was in 2002.

MKE-MSP-CHI said:
I also don't understand not including Milwaukee ..... It's been pretty obvious from your previous statements that you aren't a fan of Milwaukee, or at least don't like people who post about it.

I shouldn't respond to this because I've already posted above that I didn't finish the poll in the required time and left off Milwaukee by accident. I don't have anything against Milwaukee. I've been critical of it's skyline before but think Milwaukee is a fine city over all and enjoy reading about the new development and great things happening there.

cjfjapan

· #18 · Oct 12, 2017

so the OP created a poll to answer their own question and toot their own city?

Reactions: 4

KC2SD

Discussion Starter · #19 · Oct 12, 2017

cjfjapan said:
so the OP created a poll to answer their own question and toot their own city?

I created a poll for the group to find out by their vote and comments who they thought had the most improved downtown in the last 10-15 years.

What part of that don't you understand? :bash:

The midwest forum is the biggest bunch of whining, insecure b____s on this website! No wonder nobody but the same old hags post here regularly.

CleBurgh

· #20 · Oct 12, 2017

I realize you get your homers on these forums, but Indianapolis? Seriously? How is Indy the most improved downtown in the last 15 years? Indy was 15 years ago the downtown that cities would look to and say this is what they did right with the downtown mall, sports, restaurants, etc let's try that. Indy's strength was its downtown. Now, most downtowns in the Midwest are right on par Indy. In that time, Indy should have been focusing on its almost nonexistent neighborhoods.

The answer is Detroit, without question. Most improved downtown goes to a city that 15 years ago downtown had pretty much nothing going on. Within the last 5 years that has changed very quickly. Yes, there's still a lot downtown Detroit needs to do, but where it was then and now, it's the most improved. Even if you add Milwaukee to the poll, Milwaukee is not the most improved downtown. It's not who has the best, it's who has improved the most. Considering where Detroit has been and where it's going, it's a pretty easy answer.

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1 - 20 of 53 Posts

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