June 19, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Juneteenth, here are ten black owned authentic and locally operated soul food restaurants in Jacksonville. If you see a soul food establishment you'd recommend that is not...
Read more
June 18, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Jacksonville's next craft brewery is planned for a historic former gas station on the border of Riverside and Murray Hill.
Read more
June 15, 2020 | Bill Delaney
A month after Folio Weekly shut down, local attorney John Phillips is bringing back Jacksonville's alternative weekly paper as Folio 2.0.
Read more
June 12, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
'It's official! Jacksonville will host the Republican National Convention this August. Mayor Lenny Curry believes the city does things big, bold and will be ready depsite the expedited event planning...
Read more
June 9, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Although few in number compared to many other Southern cities, a variety of monuments and memorials commemorating the Civil War exist in Jacksonville. These include graves, historic sites associated with...
Read more
May 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Trust for Public Land has released its annual ParkScore list for the country's 100 largest cities. The ParkScore criteria includes the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute...
Read more
May 22, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The vibrancy of cities comes in all shapes and sizes. Many believe that what works in internationally known cosmopolitan settings may not be applicable for cities in America that have...
Read more
May 20, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Converted from a brickyard claypit into a manmade lake during the construction of Jacksonville’s popular San Marco neighborhood in the 1920s, Marco Lake is one of the city’s most picturesque...
Read more
May 6, 2020 | Bill Delaney
For over 20 years, Anne Wind has been hosting live music at Jack Rabbits while her husband Tim Hall books shows across the First Coast through JaxLive. In the age...
Read more
April 24, 2020 | Guest editorial by Steve Lovett
A guest editorial highlighting how a Jacksonville planning, architecture, and landscape architecture firm is managing change due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more
April 8, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Originally called Africa or Little Africa, Lincolnville was settled by recently freed enslaved in the marshes of Maria Sanchez Creek just west of St. Augustine in 1866. Largely developed between...
Read more
April 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A brief story of eight African Americans who became millionaires in Florida before desegregation.
Read more
April 2, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, the Jaxson's Bill Delaney highlights the history and impact of Jacksonville’s Syrian and Arab community. The River City boasts the country’s fifth-largest Syrian...
Read more
April 2, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at where the country's largest metropolitan statistical areas rank in population, according to the United States Census Bureau's recently released 2019 population estimates.
Read more
March 27, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Underneath a forgotten Northside shopping mall lies the remains of a 19th century cemetery associated with the yellow fever epidemic of 1888.
Read moreMarch 20, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
To say we’re all facing some challenges right now is an understatement. As I write these words, the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Travel has been restricted....
March 11, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A visual tour of a rapidly gentrifying African-American neighborhood in Charleston: Westside
February 19, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Converted into a community center, parking lot and park, Jacksonville's Mount Herman Cemetery may be one of the oldest and largest African-American cemeteries erased from existence.
February 18, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Steve Williams, founder of the Jacksonville group MappingJax, released a video arguing for the community to come out against demolishing First Baptist Church's former Sunday school building.
February 13, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Jaxson Magazine takes a visual walk through one of the world's most vibrant urban waterfronts: The Seine in Paris
January 23, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Advocates have long used a population of 10,000 as the benchmark Downtown Jacksonville must reach to achieve vibrancy. However, this figure leaves out the importance of population density - Downtown...
December 20, 2019 | Bill Delaney
A look back at some of Jacksonville’s biggest stories of the decade.
December 19, 2019 | Bill Delaney
The Jaxson covered a lot of ground in 2019. Take a look at our top 30 stories by number of views.
December 13, 2019 | Bill Delaney
The Jaxson's list of 36 of the best nonfiction books ever written about Jacksonville and the people who made it what it is today.
December 10, 2019 | Mike Field
If you wanted to eat only locally-produced food for a month, could you? In most towns, the answer is probably 'no.' Below are five ways to shift the dial in...
December 9, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
One element that all downtowns have in common is that their character will change over the course of time. Downtown Winter Haven, APA Florida's 2019 Great Places in Florida People's...
November 27, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Charlotte isn't a city known as being a stalwart of historic preservation and adaptive reuse. However, Optimist Hall, the latest major adaptive reuse project along the city’s light rail line,...
November 26, 2019 | Bill Delaney
Shortly after they established Southern rock in Jacksonville in 1969, the Allman Brothers Band relocated to Macon, Georgia to record at Capricorn Records. From 1970 to 1973, band members and...
November 21, 2019 | J.D. McGregor
Unlike previous downtown demolitions that were accompanied by media blitzes and celebratory fanfare, the city is proceeding quietly with its controversial plan to raze the Jacksonville Landing.
November 6, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Orlando-based RedCoach offers free tickets for Jaxson and Modern Cities readers willing to travel prior to November 21, 2019.
October 31, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
If you're the type of person who believes in ghost, ghouls, and goblins, here are few sites in town you might want to avoid this Halloween courtesy of Modern Cities....
October 17, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The food hall craze continues to take the south by storm. Here is a brief look at the latest food hall projects in Florida, involving the adaptive reuse of historic...
October 1, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Join The Jaxson, WJCT and APA Florida's First Coast Section on the evening of October 2nd for Setting the Table for Urban Revitalization, a free discussion exploring how authentic, local...
September 20, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Before chains like Walmart, Publix, and Winn-Dixie dominated the grocery business, these names once anchored shopping centers and street corners throughout our cities.
August 12, 2019 | J.D. McGregor
Mayor Curry has revealed his plans for replacing the Jacksonville Landing after its demolition, and as Urban Core advocates have feared for months, it's mostly an empty field. Get ready...
August 5, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
15 years after the opening of Campus Martius Park, the results of clustering complementing development within a compact setting are beginning to pay dividends. Now home to more than 6,500...
August 1, 2019 | Bill Delaney
Jacksonville-based All Elite Wrestling is disrupting the pro wrestling world - and boosting the River City's profile as an entertainment destination.
July 19, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
If you live in Jacksonville, then you already know: there's always something to do here. But going out with friends or planning a day with the family doesn’t have to...
July 15, 2019 | J.D. McGregor
Buildings that are 50 years or older are landmarked as historically significant according to a set of seven criteria. The Jacksonville Landing already passes all seven, meaning that in 18...
June 10, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
During its heyday, the Jacksonville Terminal was the largest passenger railroad station in the South and served as an official gateway to worldwide travelers entering downtown, handling as many as...
April 1, 2019 | Bill Delaney
Through Thursday, April 4, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is seeking public input on a proposed $1.95 billion facilities master plan that calls for building new schools and closing -...
March 20, 2019 | The Jaxson
Most festival marketplaces built in the 1970s and 1980s have struggled, but the Jacksonville Landing may be the first to be outright demolished and not replaced. While other cities have...
March 15, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Many cities have struggled with the revitalization of their urban cores. Orlando isn't one of them. A sleepy central business district twenty years ago continues its radical transformation into an...
February 25, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Some look at the Jacksonville Landing as a failure that's past its prime and believe that taxpayers should pay to demolish the complex, evicting several businesses from the downtown core...
February 14, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Black History Month, here's five internationally known African-American individuals who spent some time in Jacksonville.
February 8, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
This may be an area you don't recognize today. The maritime industrial district in this article grew up around two railroad lines into downtown Jacksonville that no longer exist.
January 24, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Join The Jaxson tonight for a free discussion focusing on the impact of Jacksonville's changing demographics on current and future transportation initiatives.
January 22, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Inspired by Greenville, South Carolina and envisioning a better downtown, Lakeland, Florida's city leaders view existing surface parking as fertile ground for office, retail and additional multi-family housing. With this...
January 16, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Sun Belt has seen substantial population growth since the 1960s from an influx of people seeking a warm and sunny climate, a surge in retiring baby boomers, and growing...
January 7, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Sights and scenes from around Downtown Detroit during the holiday season.
January 3, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Brightline (now Virgin Trains USA), the first new major private passenger intercity rail system in the United States in over a century has a new name and growth plans that...
December 31, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities and the Jaxson covered a lot of ground in 2018. Today, we take a look at the 20 most popular articles of the year, ranked by number of...
December 4, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities takes a trip to the Polk Historical Museum to identify 15 things about a major Central Florida county that you didn't already know.
November 15, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Strategic Property Partners, LLC Has Broken Ground on First Residential Building in Water Street Tampa Neighborhood. 815 Water Street, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, offers the first chance to...
November 12, 2018 | Melissa Hege, AICP
It's not every day that you can enjoy an intimate meal with 400 of your closest friends, but community dinners are a thing. And Miami isn't going to be left...
October 29, 2018 | Bill Delaney
On October 23, The Jaxson hosted our first ever live event, 'Forgotten Spaces: Places Reimagined.' Scroll down for the full video.
October 19, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Join The Jaxson on the evening of October 23 for Forgotten Spaces, a free discussion about how the history and importance of a space becomes forgotten over time and how...
October 18, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Could an influx of private sector investment fuel long needed economic growth into our most distressed neighborhoods? Or will a new community development program designed to drive private investment to...
October 1, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A cool time-lapse video of Manhattan's Waterline Square, a luxury residential development designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, Richard Meier & Partners Architects, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF).
July 9, 2018 | Ennis Davis
The creators of Modern Cities, in association with WJCT Public Broadcasting, are launching The Jaxson, a new website dedicated to urbanism and culture on Florida’s First Coast.
May 25, 2018 | Ennis Davis
The Census Bureau recently released their 2017 estimates for the country's largest cities. Here's a look at the latest numbers for the country's largest 100 cities. Find out where your...
May 17, 2018 | Ennis Davis
A look at Chicago, home of the world's first skyscraper, from the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).
April 22, 2018 | Ennis Davis
From downtown urban areas to suburban shopping malls and strip centers, food halls are continuing to thrive within the communities they serve. Here's a look at the transformation of a...
March 18, 2018 | Ennis Davis
In Chicago for an Alfred Benesch & Company (Benesch) Emerging Leaders Leadership Development Program, Modern Cities' Ennis Davis takes a look at one of the country's most famous St. Patrick's...
March 18, 2018 | Mike Field
Starbucks is launching a long-term effort to create local jobs, provide training opportunities for youth and invest in local minority-owned businesses.
March 12, 2018 | Mike Field
Salvation Army grocery stores to open across the United States to provide lower income families with better access to healthy foods.
January 31, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Energy provider to relocate Florida headquarters to Nassau County community.
January 7, 2018 | Ennis Davis
5 major chains likely to close stores or file for bankruptcy in 2018.
December 29, 2017 | Ennis Davis
The top 25 most popular Modern Cities articles of 2017 by number of views.
December 20, 2017 | Mike Field
The Moby Mart is an autonomous, staffless, mobile store, turning every parking space in the world into a potential new 24-hour store.
December 15, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Like nearly every major metropolitan area in the country, Jacksonville is preparing to give up its goodies to land Amazon's coveted second headquarters. Here's a brief video highlighting the city's...
November 29, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Sometimes called Sarasota Modern, the Sarasota School of Architecture is a modern style of architecture embracing Florida's climate that came to prominence following the end of World War II.
November 1, 2017 | Mike Field
Innovative, two-year pilot program provides critical capital and training for next generation of developers building communities of opportunity.
October 23, 2017 | Mike Field
Analysis looks at a decade of data to determine which communities are undergoing dynamic transformations, and which are standing still.
September 14, 2017 | Mike Field
New concept from retailer Nordstrom features personal stylists, manicurists, a tailor, beer and wine - but no clothing, shoes or merchandise of any kind.
July 24, 2017 | Mike Field
Amazon's Treasure Trucks hawk everything from GoPros to poke bowls and Harry Potter books.
June 16, 2017 | Mike Field
The nation's largest brick and mortar retailer gearing up to fight rival Amazon's grocery concept.
June 8, 2017 | Ennis Davis
The Census Bureau recently released their 2016 estimates for the country's largest cities. Here's a look at the latest numbers for the country's largest 100 cities. Find out where your...
May 31, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Each week, WJCT News Director Jessica Palombo talks with Modern Cities about the latest business trends affecting the First Coast. During this week's Monday morning business brief, Ennis Davis, AICP...
May 18, 2017 | Ennis Davis
In honor of National Museum Day, here's 11 free admission cultural destinations worth visiting in Florida.
April 6, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Viewers installed throughout downtown Long Beach gives visitors a glimpse into the city's past.
March 30, 2017 | Mike Field
Ikea’s solar-powered, flat pack home can be deployed in neighborhoods, disaster zones or deserts. Has the Swedish retailer made a major breakthrough in affordable housing?
March 20, 2017 | Mike Field
A look at what the President's proposed budget will mean for cities, and reaction from city leaders.
February 13, 2017 | Mike Field
After decades of sprawl, Memphis begins to reconsider its growth pattern and chart a new course towards fiscal sustainability.
January 30, 2017 | Mike Field
As heavy truck traffic is removed from the streets of Ybor City, efforts to return the area to its place as one of West Florida's most vibrant urban neighborhoods receive...
January 29, 2017 | Mike Field
The Milwaukee Bucks advance plans to construct a community gathering space adjacent to the new Wisconsin Entertainment & Sports Center that will serve as a year-round hub for activity in...
December 30, 2016 | Ennis Davis
The top 25 most popular Modern Cities articles of 2016 by number of views.
December 28, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Did you know that Mobile, AL is home to the tallest building on the Gulf Coast between Houston and South Florida? If not, here's 27 other things you probably didn't...
December 14, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Architects-In-Training Ledia Durmishaj and Samantha Wai provide a behind the scenes look into the design of Gresham, Smith & Partners (GS&P). Located on the top floor of One Enterprise Center,...
December 1, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry recently announced his desire for state funding to begin removing the Hart Bridge Expressway ramps along the downtown riverfront as early as next year. For those...
November 24, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Millennials. It’s a term we hear often, but what exactly does it mean? Well, for starters, it represents the largest generation currently on our planet, who just so happen to...
November 2, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Amazon plans to build 2,000 drive through grocery stores across the country. Is America ready?
October 25, 2016 | Ennis Davis
ULI North Florida recently hosted the 5th Annual Awards for Excellence event in downtown Jacksonville to showcase projects throughout North Florida that represent the best practices in all aspects of...
October 6, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A look at plans to develop the International African American Museum on the very site where an estimated 100,000 enslaved West Africans entered the United States.
September 13, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Once a major retirement destination known as 'God's Waiting Room' and stagnant growth, St. Petersburg is proving that new home construction doesn't always mean building farther out.
August 10, 2016 | Mike Field
While a 25,000 sq ft, multi-million dollar food hall recently opened after over a year in the making just blocks away, a similar concept had already activated a blighted lot...
August 9, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Phase one construction of Miami Worldcenter, America’s second-largest luxury urban development, is now underway.
June 28, 2016 | Ennis Davis
A wholesale district is an area where a compact cluster of intermediary entities that buy in bulk and sell to resellers rather than to consumers are located. Here's a quick...
May 23, 2016 | Ennis Davis
The Census Bureau recently released their 2015 estimates for the country's largest cities. Here's a look at the latest numbers for the country's largest 100 cities. Find out where your...
March 9, 2015 | Ennis Davis
In preparation the 2016 American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference in Phoenix, AZ, we look back at a young planner's recollection of attending the conference for the first time...
June 19, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Juneteenth, here are ten black owned authentic and locally...
June 18, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Jacksonville's next craft brewery is planned for a historic former gas station...
June 15, 2020 | Bill Delaney
A month after Folio Weekly shut down, local attorney John Phillips is...
June 12, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
'It's official! Jacksonville will host the Republican National Convention this August. Mayor...
June 9, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Although few in number compared to many other Southern cities, a variety...
May 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Trust for Public Land has released its annual ParkScore list for...
June 29, 2020 | Article by Scott Gann
Wouldn’t it be great to explore the wilderness a stone’s throw from...
June 24, 2020 | Article by Scott Gann
Where can you find a manatee, shopping carts, tons of bridges, 1926...
June 22, 2020 | Guest Editorial by Zuri Davis
It's Time to Celebrate Juneteenth, America's Other Independence Day. Though Juneteenth is...
April 15, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
During the late 1960s, Ribault Scenic Drive was once called the new,...
March 18, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities takes a look at a popular urban trail system in...
November 15, 2019 | Erik Hamilton
Fed by dozens of springs and running through several public parks and...
May 4, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Now open, the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) at LaVilla officially replaces...
March 24, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities shares images of a congested South Florida arterial roadway corridor...
January 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Virgin Trains USA won't arrive for another two years but in Orlando,...
January 16, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Armed with the November 2018 approval of a one-cent sales transportation sales...
January 9, 2020 | John Cruz
Since the automobile became king of the road in modern civilization, traffic...
January 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The United States is home to 32 commuter rail systems. Here is...
June 11, 2020 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
With the recent announcement of JCPenney's decision to close, Jacksonville's Regency Square...
April 10, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Between 2012 and 2017, the First Coast witnessed every local Kmart store...
March 12, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Facadism is a practice where the facade of a structure is preserved...
November 13, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Established in 1829, D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest continuously...
November 12, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Once a poster child for the negative impact of urban renewal, Uptown...
August 22, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Often drawing opposition when proposed, affordable and workforce housing projects can serve...
July 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at eight Chitlin Circuit venues standing throughout the state of...
June 30, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Florida's LGBTQ history begins thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Before colonization,...
June 2, 2020 | Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP
The protests and riots taking place across the country following the murder...
May 28, 2020 | Abandoned Florida
Abandoned Florida takes a look inside of Downtown Miami's former Burdines flagship...
May 25, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hamburger Month, Modern Cities and the Jaxson take...
April 21, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, spent...
July 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at eight Chitlin Circuit venues standing throughout the state of...
June 30, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Florida's LGBTQ history begins thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Before colonization,...
June 29, 2020 | Article by Scott Gann
Wouldn’t it be great to explore the wilderness a stone’s throw from...
June 24, 2020 | Article by Scott Gann
Where can you find a manatee, shopping carts, tons of bridges, 1926...
June 22, 2020 | Guest Editorial by Zuri Davis
It's Time to Celebrate Juneteenth, America's Other Independence Day. Though Juneteenth is...
June 19, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Juneteenth, here are ten black owned authentic and locally...