This article first appeared in the 200105
issue of BD+C.
The development of urban entertainment centers is having a notable impact on downtown revitalization efforts, according to participants in a Beverly Hills, Calif., Urban Land Institute conference on the future of entertainment development. Many of the projects discussed were makeovers of older properties into multipurpose developments. Case studies ranged from Downtown Disney, a mixed-use expansion of Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., to Canal City in Osaka, Japan, which features a nine-acre public park atop a building. Common factors were multiple uses, an element of authenticity, the availability of public space, attention to detail and the desire to draw local residents.
