Downtown Fort Myers

To me the word "downtown" reminds me of what the downtown where I live is like. Some parts are low-income and other parts are not. Downtown Clearwater is home to the Scientology headquarters and a lot of their members. They flock the streets and business on the main street in downtown Clearwater. Overtime, downtown communities have gone from very low scale and run down to in a constant up scaling change. Downtown isn't always seen as a "slum" in some areas because of the renovations that have been taking place. Downtown Ft. Myers is experiencing a "renaissance" because it is changing its appearance and common populates. It's turning into a fun daytime place with festivals and live music during the day and a bar and club scene at night, which is giving downtown an opportunity to attract more than just the older generations. Some of the prominent architectural features are the style of the buildings that line the main streets, they have almost a Mediterranean feel to them. There are a lot of bright, inviting colors and large windows for window shopping. Also, on the government buildings there are a lot of distinct architectural features such as large stair cases up to the main doors instead of just walking straight in. These features among others are designed to rekindle the pedestrian spirit because they are meant for looking and browsing as opposed to just in and out to get things done. The large waterfront parks and sidewalks with nice views, trees and parks are also for the pedestrians. They encourage people to come and just take a stroll along the waterway and hang out in the park. Some of the nods to history include the Olympian museum that has artwork of past Olympians and other artifacts. Also there are several monuments that are dedicated to Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone such as the statue of the three of them sitting around a fire right on the waterfront.  The economy of Fort Myers has evolved from being undeveloped and poor to an increasingly growing financial and cultural district. There have been more additions including houses, shopping centers and parks. All of these aspects relate to sustainability because even though the city is continuing to grow, it still promotes its history and culture and making everything pedestrian friendly as opposed to motor vehicular friendly.