You're right, combuchan--Rio Nuevo needs a stronger residential component. Urban residential development can be tricky, however, and often gets caught in the proverbial chicken-and-egg conundrum: prospective residents want certain amenities in the way of culture, retail, restaurants and nightlife before moving in; yet those very businesses and institutions are often hesitant to commit to an area without a substantial residential base to support them.
For successful urban development--particularly redevelopment--there must be a compelling and viable vision, and a sufficient number of developers, entrepreneurs, civic leaders and citizens that believe in and support that vision and are willing to risk the necessary political and financial capital to make it happen. To date, Tucson's Rio Nuevo vision hasn't created much consistent momentum, although the tide may be starting to turn.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Tucson is at a crossroads regarding its urban future, as numerous issues, including the worsening traffic congestion and the cost of basic infrastructure for the ever-expanding suburban sprawl, are already forcing the question. (see the 5 Trends Tucson? study:
http://www.tucsonaz.gov/planning/res...ns/5trends.pdf)
Perhaps the Rio Nuevo plan for a strong urban core is premature: Phoenix's population is nearly four million, and they have yet to achieve a strong commercial and residential core downtown. But Tucson has never been nor wanted to emulate Phoenix, and any modern urban core it creates should be far different in both flavor and scope than its neighbor to the north.
As a result of the city's prior redevelopment efforts and the lack of much visible progress to date, they are plenty of naysayers about Tucson's prospects of ever having a thriving downtown again. However, as the area's rapid pace of growth continues, I would hope that civic and business leaders, as well as the community at large, begin to acknowledge and address the increasingly urban needs of a metropolis with nearly one million residents.