On the notion that a community can never be whole if its heart is failing, several cities and towns in the county will make substantial progress on revitalizing their downtowns in 2001. David A. Jones, legislative representative for the League of California Cities, said the smart cities are redeveloping their cores.
Economic development is a clear benefit.
The city of Stockton, over the past decade, has gained much attention from its promises to redevelop the city core. But it wasn't until police stepped up law enforcement downtown and the Weber Point Events Center opened in 1999 that residents truly began to see change. Residents now curse at the ever-present lines of orange cones that cause traffic backups while giving construction cranes more redevelopment room. Stockton is just beginning its redevelopment process. The projects to date have been totally or partly publicly funded.