Fresno 'Believes' in Downtown Revitalization

Exploring an effort to revitalize the downtown of the city of Fresno—an agricultural town in the Central Valley of California.

1 minute read

March 23, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

James Fallows presents Fresno as a case study of a city attempting "to rebuild and revitalize what is now its very troubled downtown…" To do so, Fallows evaluates a number of points, including "Downtown as bellwether," the "Stages of downtown recovery," the "Background source of trouble," and the "need for a public champion."

Fallows notes that Fresno is positioned in interesting, and uncertain, points relative to any of the narrative arcs described in the article.

The article is the latest installment of the third season of the "American Futures" special report project. The homepage for American Futures shows the other communities the project has explored around the country.

FULL STORY: Stages of a Downtown Comeback: Fresno Begins the Long Climb

Friday, March 20, 2015 in The Atlantic

Urban Development United States California Fresno downtown revitalization Branding American Futures View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.