Great place-making… for visitors

CityPlace, West Palm Beach is one of the most beautiful, European-inspired new retail entertainment villages in the U.S… for the rich. $300K+ is the starting point for any of the 600 residences, its 20 restaurants are high-end, and its chain-driven stores even higher.

Still, for budget-minded visitors and local residents alike, there’s no better place in the area to sit back and enjoy anything remotely close to life in an Italian piazza. The vastness of the square, the sound of bubbling water, the mass symphony of conversation, the backdrop of elegant architecture draped in flickering lights from the fountain pool, all over clear skies on a breezy warm night. Entertainment-wise, the 20-screen theater has standard prices, the water fountain show is free, and so is the live entertainment in and around the main square.

Now imagine if the stores and shops were independents at small town prices; the homes were lofts starting at half the cost; with free wireless internet throughout. It probably wouldn’t be in West Palm Beach, but it’d be a pretty cool town, and you know what? Very realizable.

Any ideas on how you’d design your own CityPlace? Speak your mind below…

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neilkt