December 8, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
As Jacksonville debates the merits of Shad Khan’s Lot J proposal, Tampa is moving forward with a major infill project of its own that’s similar in price if not in...
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December 1, 2020 | City of Jacksonville Press Release
In celebration of Northeast Florida joining in Black Restaurant Week, a national celebration of African American, African and Caribbean cuisine, The Jaxson shares a map illustrating the location of Black-owned...
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November 18, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
With an extensive and rich Gullah Geechee heritage, Jacksonville’s Black culinary roots run deep. Our city’s Black-owned restaurants are a must-taste experience. Foodies can raise their forks to events showcasing...
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July 21, 2020 | Quint Studer
A guest article by Quint Studer, founder of Pensacola's Studer Community Insitute, highlighting the importance of how investing in the little things can lead to great revitalization impact.
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June 11, 2020 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
With the recent announcement of JCPenney's decision to close, Jacksonville's Regency Square Mall has been delivered a punch that may represent the final nail in the coffin of its demise....
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April 10, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Between 2012 and 2017, the First Coast witnessed every local Kmart store being closed as the long time national retail chain struggles to survive. In a city filled with an...
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March 12, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Facadism is a practice where the facade of a structure is preserved with a new building constructed around or behind it. During the latter half of the 20th century, facadism...
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November 13, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Established in 1829, D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest continuously operating brewing company in the United States. Based on volume of beer sold in 2018, it is also...
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November 12, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Once a poster child for the negative impact of urban renewal, Uptown Charlotte is now a revitalization example for other Sunbelt cities to follow. With that in mind, here are...
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August 22, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Often drawing opposition when proposed, affordable and workforce housing projects can serve as viable adaptive reuse projects that can bring life back to a neighborhood while preserving its unique sense...
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July 31, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Columbia, South Carolina once faced a problem many communities attempting downtown revitalization have had to overcome. That problem was overcoming the challenge of turning a 9-to-5 weekday environment into one...
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July 9, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Adaptive reuse is a form of development that gives new life and purpose to old buildings. Many cities have embraced the concept to turn around areas that once suffered from...
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June 19, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
While 45 of 50 states recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday, ceremonial holiday, or day of observance, many things we take for granted today such as the coffeehouse, tea...
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May 30, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
What happens when city after city makes the same expensive mistake in their quest to revitalize downtown? Here's a look at how another failed 1980s urban retail marketplace was converted...
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May 17, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In a cooperative effort with the City of Lakeland, a long time privately owned surface parking will soon be going away for good. In its place, a mixed-use project that...
Read moreMarch 11, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
What happens when city after city makes the same expensive mistake in their quest to revitalize downtown? Here's a look at how another failed 1980s festival marketplace was converted into...
February 28, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Very few urban revitalization innovations have generated as much popularity as the festival marketplace craze by the Rouse Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
December 14, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Since its opening, Anheuser-Busch has offered free guided tours to anyone willing to drop by to explore their Jacksonville brewery. However, these days are coming to an end. On December...
November 30, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Hall on Franklin in Tampa's Tampa Heights neighborhood is a European inspired food hall featuring 7 unique vendors. However, it may be the country's first to combine the food...
November 5, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Does your city have an aging urban retail center that has seen better days? If so, the recent renovation of Miami's Bayside Marketplace should serve as a visual example of...
September 20, 2018 | Ennis Davis
A collection of aging nondescript warehouses that once served as the terminus for fruit and vegetable barges arriving from the Everglades to access West Palm Beach’s Municipal Market, now make...
August 7, 2018 | Sophee Payne
Can Historic Preservation Help Protect Communities from Gentrification?
June 13, 2018 | Ennis Davis
If you live in one of the 40 largest markets in the U.S, an e-commerce fulfillment center or flatbed distribution center is likely headed your way. With its online sales...
April 8, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Tallahassee Mall was once the city's premier enclosed regional mall. By the 2000s, it was well on its way to becoming a dead mall. Now it has a new interesting...
March 4, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Located just northeast of Downtown Orlando, Mills 50 was recently recognized as one of the top 12 neighborhoods across America about to get crazy popular.
February 25, 2018 | Mike Field
While Millennials are coveted by marketers and consumer goods companies, young adults of color are not equally sharing in the benefits of Millennials' economic popularity.
February 19, 2018 | Ennis Davis
A look at the architectural evolution of Florida's first industrial corporation and retail chain to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
February 1, 2018 | Mike Field
Low-income renters are requiring longer periods of rental assistance, and the trends show housing costs are a leading cause.
January 23, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Now proposing to add another 900 stores in 2018, Dollar General continues to rapidly expand throughout the U.S. However, their push for a smaller more urban format is something seriously...
January 2, 2018 | Mike Field
Central business districts serve as a magnet for economic growth and employment. The following is an overview of the top 10 largest CBDs in the country.
January 1, 2018 | Mike Field
While commercial real estate outlook remains strong in 2018, leading economist predicts that prices will be at a standstill.
December 22, 2017 | Ennis Davis
One thing we learn in life is that businesses come and go. Even the places once thought to be large enough to last forever. Here's 12 popular North American restaurant...
December 21, 2017 | Ennis Davis
During the 20 years following the creation of the country's first enclosed regional mall in 1956, so many were built in Florida that they started to cannibalize each other. Here's...
December 6, 2017 | Ennis Davis
One thing we learn in life is that businesses come and go. Even the places once thought to be large enough to last forever. Here's 12 popular North American restaurant...
October 29, 2017 | Mike Field
Data shows that homeownership rates for people under 35 have dropped by 21 percent since 2004, and this under participation by millennials is causing problems in the housing market.
October 18, 2017 | Mike Field
E-commerce giant Amazon doesn't think brick and mortar retailing is dead, and has been slowly growing a fleet of physical stores. While the company's acquisition of Whole Foods has grabbed...
October 11, 2017 | Ennis Davis
A new innovative crowd investment project promising to stimulate grassroots revitalization in inner city Detroit is born. Could this concept be an applicable solution for the revitalization of similar urban...
September 11, 2017 | Mike Field
Hurricane Harvey's impact on Houston's commercial real estate market is substantial. 27% of Houston’s gross leasable area may be flooded today, representing an estimated $55 billion in property value.
September 10, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Seeking shelter from Hurricane Irma, the First Coast shrimping and fishing fleet brings a little nostalgia back to the days when downtown Jacksonville was known as being an active working...
July 31, 2017 | Mike Field
The production of housing is one of the most regulated and micro-managed industries in the industrialized world, and attempting to meet the needs of renters and buyers continues to be...
July 7, 2017 | Mike Field
Struggling retailer sees opportunities to improve shopping experience by activating empty parking lots.
June 12, 2017 | Mike Field
Affordable urban living for millennial families with children has the potential to become one of the largest market demands in the near future.
June 7, 2017 | Mike Field
As the face of retail continues to evolve, tremendous opportunity exists for out-of-the-box concepts and creative retail strategies.
May 2, 2017 | Mike Field
Strong Towns shares five stories that showcase creative strategies for increasing affordable housing.
April 7, 2017 | Mike Field
If you wanted to eat only locally-produced food for a month, could you? In most towns, the answer is probably 'no.' Below are five ways to shift the dial in...
March 16, 2017 | Mike Field
Shared ownership model of artist housing transforming Indianapolis blocks from vacant to vibrant as artists and developer teamed up to develop affordable housing for working creative professionals.
March 6, 2017 | Mike Field
Struggling Minneapolis-based retailer is thinking big by betting on a small store, urban revolution.
March 1, 2017 | Mike Field
Survey: Commercial and Multifamily Originators Expect Strong, Steady Market in 2017.
February 14, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Is it time to re-evaluate the amount of public money utilized to subsidize sports stadiums at the expense of other community needs? The editorial team at FormSwift believes so. With...
February 5, 2017 | Mike Field
Charles Marohn of Strong Towns breaks down why poor neighborhoods are profitable while the affluent neighborhoods are not, and makes the case as to why investing in the poor neighborhoods...
February 3, 2017 | Mike Field
Camron Bridgford of DenverUrbanism disescts the affordable housing crisis that has led to the rapid displacement of artists in urban centers across the United States.
January 24, 2017 | Mike Field
37% of all American residents rent their homes and yet the voice of renters is often underrepresented in local decision-making.
January 20, 2017 | Mike Field
The difference between stability and sameness and allowing a city to change.
January 19, 2017 | Mike Field
Innovative retail center constructed from repurposed shipping containers activates an empty lot, looks to spark a retail revival in downtown Tulsa.
January 13, 2017 | Mike Field
Karen Parolek discusses the 'Missing Middle' that is too often overlooked in discussions about affordable housing.
January 10, 2017 | Mike Field
Charles Marohn, the Founder and President of Strong Towns, shares five low cost initiatives that every city across the country should prioritize.
December 29, 2016 | Mike Field
A strong town needs strong local businesses. Local businesses provide jobs and opportunities for wealth creation. They can become a draw, encouraging visitors from outside your community, as well as...
December 21, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A look inside the last brewery built in the country before Prohibition and one local entrepreneur's plans to create jobs and economic activity in the inner city by bringing it...
December 19, 2016 | Ennis Davis
For the past year, I've been working on my pet project called the Baywalk pop-up. Over time I've recruited an internationally acclaimed architecture firm and collected an assortment of public...
December 6, 2016 | Ennis Davis
2017 is less than a month away and housing forecast predictions are starting to come in. According to Realtor.com,'s 2017 housing forecast, Next year’s housing market will see slow yet...
December 1, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Here's the country's top five housing trends for 2017, according to Realtor.com.
November 14, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Palatka Mall opened to great fanfare in 1981. Today, a walk inside exposes a post apocalyptic scene of a small town enclosed mall's struggle to stay relevant into the 21st...
November 7, 2016 | Ennis Davis
M. Jason Fisher of Content Architecture + Interiors provides us with very useful information regarding the current costs of construction for residential projects.
October 20, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Prized for its easy commute to Chicago, Hinsdale is a suburban community teetering between the economic reality of teardowns and the desire of preserve as much of its historic character...
October 13, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A vibrant public realm leads to successful businesses and additional economic opportunity. Here's seven sure fire ways to reactivate your community without breaking the piggy bank.
October 10, 2016 | Mike Field
According to a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Americans’ income mobility has declined after reaching an all-time high just before the Great Recession in 2007. Worse,...
August 7, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A look inside Anheuser-Busch's economic, environmental and cultural impact involved in operating a Jacksonville-based brewery where 99.6 percent of everything utilized in the manufacturing process is recycled.
July 21, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Detroit is a place on the move. Largely overlooked by negative media coverage , the reactivation of a great American city's urban core is well underway. As of 2015, there...
July 8, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP
July 4, 2016 | Mike Field
A report from JP Morgan Chase Institute titled ‘Paychecks, Paydays, and the Online Platform Economy’ has taken a deep dive into the demographics and sources behind an alarming trend of...
May 16, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A list ranking US metropolitan areas by total manufacturing jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You'll find many of the results to be quite shocking.
March 9, 2016 | Mike Field
Research shows that consumers’ everyday spending on most goods and services in 15 major U.S. metropolitan areas has slowed dramatically, from 5% in the second quarter of 2014 to 0.5%...
March 9, 2016 | Mike Field
In 2016, foreign real estate investors plan continued US investment. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Seattle, and Boston are top targets for foreign real estate investors.
March 9, 2016 | Mike Field
Commercial real estate finance leaders expect favorable market to continue in 2016. The majority anticipate a continuation of the past year’s positive market despite concerns of increased volatility and liquidity...
February 17, 2021 | Article by Ennis Davis, AICP
A virtual tour of a Mid-Westside neighborhood built for Jacksonville's segregation era...
January 20, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Join The Jaxson on Saturday, January 23rd for a past, present and...
December 22, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Michael Ray FitzGerald's comprehensive new book gives Jacksonville its due as the...
December 16, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Not all Downtown streets are the same, and the Downtown Design Review...
December 7, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Jacksonville's urban core is home to a number of historic walkable neighborhood...
December 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Join co-hosts the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and the Jaxson Magazine in...
February 4, 2021 | Bill Delaney
Featuring 300 acres of protected land and 5.6 miles of trails, the...
February 1, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
To kick off Black History Month, Modern Cities and The Jaxson takes...
January 29, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Jaxson takes a walk through Ocala's Downtown Square, a district that...
January 22, 2021 | Bill Delaney
When he passed away 50 years ago last month, Willie Browne left...
January 20, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Largely razed as a result of mid-20th century discriminatory practices, Sugar Hill...
October 30, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Presently the site of Jacksonville's Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park, this land...
December 23, 2020 | Editorial by Scott Gann
Desiring to lead the charge for autonomous vehicles, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority...
May 4, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Now open, the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) at LaVilla officially replaces...
March 24, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities shares images of a congested South Florida arterial roadway corridor...
January 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Virgin Trains USA won't arrive for another two years but in Orlando,...
January 16, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Armed with the November 2018 approval of a one-cent sales transportation sales...
January 9, 2020 | John Cruz
Since the automobile became king of the road in modern civilization, traffic...
December 8, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
As Jacksonville debates the merits of Shad Khan’s Lot J proposal, Tampa...
December 1, 2020 | City of Jacksonville Press Release
In celebration of Northeast Florida joining in Black Restaurant Week, a national...
November 18, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
With an extensive and rich Gullah Geechee heritage, Jacksonville’s Black culinary roots...
July 21, 2020 | Quint Studer
A guest article by Quint Studer, founder of Pensacola's Studer Community Insitute,...
June 11, 2020 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
With the recent announcement of JCPenney's decision to close, Jacksonville's Regency Square...
April 10, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Between 2012 and 2017, the First Coast witnessed every local Kmart store...
January 26, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Jaxson shares a sneak peak at a new baseball museum at...
December 21, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Jacksonville's urban core is home to a number of historic walkable neighborhood...
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December 18, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Major League Baseball's decision to recognize seven historic Negro Leagues as major...
December 11, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A new cultural heritage placemaking project helps highlight the rich history of...
December 4, 2020 | Andrew Nicholas
Across several incarnations and ownership changes, The Florida Times-Union and its predecessors...
October 27, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Evergreen Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Jacksonville that's still in operation,...
April 30, 2021 | Article by Ennis Davis, AICP
A virtual look at the mixed-use adaptive reuse of a former Sears,...
February 17, 2021 | Article by Ennis Davis, AICP
A virtual tour of a Mid-Westside neighborhood built for Jacksonville's segregation era...
February 4, 2021 | Bill Delaney
Featuring 300 acres of protected land and 5.6 miles of trails, the...
February 3, 2021 | Sarah Dumitrascu
Home to the largest Filipino population in Florida, Jacksonville offers an abundance...
February 2, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Jacksonville's urban core is home to a number of historic pedestrian scale...
February 1, 2021 | Ennis Davis, AICP
To kick off Black History Month, Modern Cities and The Jaxson takes...