Monday, February 05, 2007

So that's where its coming from...

I've always wondered why people seem to consider half of SoLo to be "downtown." Now I know.
The QCTimes, while covering the water main break, has constantly referred to it as a downtown problem. If I lived over on Boies or Lilly I would be sure that it didn't apply to me. However, when they list the areas affected, it extends from the East Village west to the "West end of Davenport" and up to 10th street. I don't consider Oneida to be downtown, and I absolutely don't consider Ralston to be downtown.

What would it take for Davenport to define its downtown more obviously and publicly?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I ran upon a post on another site that called the Times a once respected paper.

This just points out the lack of focus on local reporting. And the lack of fact checking.

How long can you make a living reporting on local non-news items or fluffed up "scandals" when no facts are checked and no follow up on what really happened is ever reported?

It's been that way for a long long time now.

Bring back the thrifty nickle...I would subscribe to that before the times.

Anonymous said...

Why is it up to you to decide what is considered "downtown"? I've always considered anything along the river part of downtown, which includes Oneida landing.

QuadCityImages said...

So you consider Lindsey Park to be in downtown Davenport? South Concord?

Anonymous said...

The easy way to remember the boundries is: if it's dirty, or if it's dangerous, it's downtown.

Anonymous said...

so 6:57 PM,

you consider Mc. Heights and the E. Vill. and the sailing club and prospect park and wonder bread bakery and bettendorf as part of downtown davenport?

you must be reporting for a local paper...

Anonymous said...

Downtown is Marquette to the QCTimes and south of the 4th Street tracks. Roughly half of this area is valued by city hall and D1 as evidenced by defining and applying incentives.

Anonymous said...

In my story, I used the term central city.

Now, I know that has some negative connotations (too many people think "central city" is synonomous with "crime ridden") but felt it was more encompassing than "downtown."

The challenge is in finding a concise way to localize the area, without having to write a sentence like "parts of Davenport, including downtown and residential areas adjacent to the central business direct."

Anonymous said...

In my story, I used the term central city.

Now, I know that has some negative connotations (too many people think "central city" is synonomous with "crime ridden") but felt it was more encompassing than "downtown."

The challenge is in finding a concise way to localize the area, without having to write a sentence like "parts of Davenport, including downtown and residential areas adjacent to the central business direct."

Anonymous said...

(sorry for the double post!) Fast fingers.

QuadCityImages said...

If the problem had extended a few more blocks to the north, you could have introduced the masses to the term SoLo.

Anonymous said...

Oh QCI, haven't we played this "not in my downtown" debate many times before. It is a water main break, a story with a short cycle.

QuadCityImages said...

It has nothing to do with that.

I was more thinking that if I was sitting in my house in the Garden Edition, and saw the headline "Downtown Davenport under boil order" I wouldn't think that it was something worth reading or worrying about. Yet I would have been under the boil order as well.