Originally Posted by
Jason
imo those "downtowns" aren't really functioning downtowns, they're disneyland lifestyle centers.
There are versions of these for old people and for young people.
Royal Oak is one for young people, and there are lots of bars restaurants and stuff for younger people, and some apartments for younger people. It's there for young people who want an urban lifestyle, but really all RO is is a few blocks of that kind of stuff with a few apartment buildings mixed in. It's not a functioning downtown. There aren't many offices and there isn't really much "business" being conducted there. It's just a few blocks of entertainment in the shape of a hip trendy urban downtown.
Then there's places like downtown Plymouth, which is for older people. It's "quaint" and "charming" and "traditional" and "family oriented". When you watch a hallmark movie that takes place in the 1950s, that's what Plymouth is going for.
Both of these aren't places that you actually live or do business, they're places that you visit on the weekend. You drive in your car and park either on a surface lot or garage and then you walk a short distance to your destination. They're lifestyle centers.
The real downtown of Oakland County is Big Beaver. There are tons of offices where business and big decisions are made, there's a lot more shopping, a wider range of shopping, and there's way more housing. It doesn't have the picturesque ye olde aesthetic of those other "downtowns" but it has all of the functionality that you'd expect from a real downtown. Southfield is another downtown. It has a lot of office and housing, plus a university and a news station. These places lack an urban form though, so even they aren't really downtowns.
Downtown Detroit is a true downtown. It has a bunch of office, entertainment, government, event hosting, hospitals, universities, housing. It has a concentration of genuine activity.