[necropolis]

And this becomes the issue of the Riverwalk. It is a dream for cities to have but it is also a detriment to cities as well. We do have block after block of restaurants and shops downtown, however, they are all located below street level along the river. With this funneling of people one level below the street it makes downtown seem empty and void of ground level retail. Even in the summer time the Riverwalk is packed but the streets remain relatively void of people in terms of how many are actually visiting downtown.

I think the Riverwalk is the reason why there is not much at the street level in downtown. So much emphasis has been poured into the Riverwalk that the street level areas are often neglected.

As far as the HemisFair redevelopment, I believe it will have its greatest success as long as the city can work with the private sector as a public-private partnership. Within the past few years it seems as though San Antonio can support a moderate rental market downtown so it is possible that it may work if it is designed well and is aesthetically appealing.