Tracking downtown investment: The case of Ithaca, New York

Abstract

In a period marked by the remarkable turnaround in the regeneration of downtowns, it is important to understand the dimensions of this change. Amid the headlines and the new buildings, how have our downtowns fared relative to their suburban and non-city centre neighbours? Have downtowns reclaimed their status as the magnets of a region or are they merely keeping pace with continued non-city centre and suburban growth? The growth of a downtown or city centre relative to its metropolitan or regional area is typically measured in terms of population growth rate or job growth rate. This paper offers an alternative methodology: tracking investment via construction building permits. Population data is derived from the federal census. Jobs data is either state or nationally generated. Building permits are locally generated and can provide a new look into the economic status of districts within a region. Using the small city of Ithaca, New York as a case study, the authors examine the dimensions of growth as seen through the lens of building permit data. While downtown Ithaca has grown according to population measures, it has mixed results when evaluated with data from local building permits.