5 Ways to Bring People Back to Downtown: Examples from Orlando, Florida

January 29 2013

Orlando, Florida’s downtown is undergoing what you might call a “residential renaissance.” As one of the leaders in this national trend, Orlando is seeing faster growth in its downtown than in its suburbs.

Economists suspect thousands of apartment units will be added to Orlando’s urban core over the next four years, with a handful of projects already under construction. This is great news for the city, since urban planners consider dense development patterns more economically powerful and more environmentally responsible.

So, how can we encourage people to move to our downtowns? Here are five ways downtown Orlando is attracting new residents:

1. Transit

As we saw in a previous post entitled “How to Revolutionize a City’s Transit System: An Orlando, Florida Case Study,” new rail and bus projects are transforming the way Central Floridians get around. Living and working close to a transit stop is seen as an asset, making well-connected developments easier to market.

Building to watch: Central Station mixed-use TOD

2. Jobs

A major draw for any downtown resident is the close proximity to their place of work. In Orlando, some of these include governmental facilities, schools, sporting venues, and, of course, the Central Business District offices.

Building to watch: Sky House apartments; The Sevens mixed-use project

3. Vibe

People move to downtowns because they want to experience everything from trendy restaurants to quality people-watching. They want to be close to major venues, museums, and events.

Building to watch: Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center

4. Convenience

Downtowns generally represent the epicenter of a city, with major highways and transportation hubs making it easy to get just about anywhere. Furthermore, apartments are replacing pre-bust condominiums, allowing a wider audience to live downtown.

Buildings to watch: Steel House and NORA apartments

5. Value

Usually we think of living downtown as expensive. However, downtowns are looking to diversify their populations by adding affordable housing, workforce housing, and student housing. On top of that, rents in downtown Orlando can rival those in other parts of the region.

Buildings to watch: Health Village and Affordable Housing apartments

Whether to live in or just to visit, what attracts you to an urban environment?

Credits: Images copyright Alex Lenhoff. Data linked to sources.

Alex Lenhoff

Alex Lenhoff is in his final semester of the Masters of Planning in Civic Urbanism program at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. His other degrees include anthropology and foreign languages, which provide him with a diverse, human-centered perspective on urban planning. Alex returned to Orlando after spending a few years exploring Europe, teaching English, and attending universities in Germany and Spain. He hopes to use his experiences abroad to further the built environment in Florida through efficient design, environmentally friendly practices, and authentic communities. In the future, he would like to focus on urban development and community building through site plan illustrations, concept renderings, branding, and marketing. For The Grid, Alex will write about Orlando’s challenges and successes, while profiling a city coming into its own.

4 Responses to “5 Ways to Bring People Back to Downtown: Examples from Orlando, Florida”

andi Says:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Great graphic! This is the type of map that Orlando urbanites are looking for- quick, clear, and easy to see how our downtown may look in the not-to-distant-future.

I’ve noticed that the vibe of downtown has improved in the past few years. I have to attribute this, at least partly, to local foodies opening great, unique restaurants in the dt and surrounding areas. Also, having lived in a number of cities- Orlando stands out for its condensed and relatively clean downtown.

Thanks for keeping us informed!
mark Says:
January 29th, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Very exciting stuff here. Having local officials who take seriously the live-work-play model of urban development is key. Also, transit is going to play a major role. Hopefully sunrail lives up to its potential, and is also just the beginning of serious evolution in Orlando’s transportation systems. Downtown Orlando was boring and dead when I moved here over 10 years ago. Now, people look forward tonot only going out in the downtown core, but also calling it home.
Nick Says:
January 29th, 2013 at 7:11 pm
I agree with you and believe this transformation of downtown is happening everywhere. People are drawn to a life of convenience and want to be able to choose from a variety of bars, restaurants, art and music events, and public places to interact socially. I have friends and colleagues residing in different dense urban neighborhoods and they all chose to move there because of the pull factors you mentioned in your post. Thanks for sharing your city’s success stories!
Alex Says:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:20 pm
A: Thanks for your comment and I’m glad you like the map. I agree, our downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods are some of Orlando’s best kept secrets — for visitors and residents alike.

M: I agree, progressive leaders and developers who understand the importance of downtown development are key. Orlando has a ways to go, no doubt, but if we keep developing at the same pace, the future looks bright.

N: Thanks for commenting! While there are plenty of great suburbs out there, for a growing number of people, downtowns (or at least mixed-use areas) are becoming more practical and interesting. I think this will be especially true with the growing cost and time involved in traveling around spread-out cities.