The Downtown community, including these groups, is only beginning to be aware of the plethora of retail, entertainment, and service venues in Downtown. Maintenance problems continue to plague Downtown. Although the Downtown Austin Alliance has achieved a noticeable improvement in the cleanliness and safety of Downtown, several areas still need improvement. One area is the communication between the Downtown community and its adjacent neighbors. Marketing Downtown to Downtown employees is the highest priority, but marketing to and coordinating with the adjacent neighborhoods is also very important to the success of Downtown.
Downtown is everybody's neighborhood.
It is the place where everyone comes together. While the entire community has a stake in a vital Downtown, there is not uniform awareness of this fact. Downtown advocates need to do a better job of articulating the connections between Downtown and the larger community. Downtown businesses need to improve marketing in the entire region, especially to families. Downtown needs a neighborhood events section in the local media.