Downtowns provide link between cities’ past, future

Vibrant centers reflect community’s pride in itself

In the good old days, downtown neighborhoods served as the commercial and social centers of our communities. In contemporary society, they may remain these things, but they have also become the cultural repository of a community.

When they are really successful, they build upon and take every advantage of their traditional role as the community’s cultural classroom and trendsetter.

Our downtowns and older residential neighborhoods preserve a community’s spirit. In the magnificent bank buildings, courthouses, opera houses, museums, the manors and estates, we can touch base with the powers that molded our hometowns.

These buildings express the…