Stockton Has Reason to CELEBRATE!
The Situation
Stockton, California, 60 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area, has a colorful history as an active seaport on the San Joaquin Delta waterway. Once a bustling mid-sized city, the growth in suburbia left downtown lifeless, without much to see or do after the workers left at 5:00 pm. Without an active resident population and community life downtown, crime rates soared and downtown Stockton garnered a reputation as an unsafe city. Recent news reports that Stockton is the center of the nation's mortgage crisis has done little to help its image.
City leaders wanted to change Stockton's image and bring new life into downtown. In the past ten years, crime rates have dropped downtown, but the perception that it is still unsafe persists. The community has invested in the downtown with a professional sports arena, a revitalized baseball park, a refurbished performing arts center, and park-like open spaces such as Weber Point and DeCarli Plaza. These investments form the foundation for a new downtown Stockton. But how does the city bring their locals and visitors back into downtown to do more than attend a ball game and then go home? Or to spend their leisure time enjoying the parks and other entertainment that could be available?
For Stockton's solution, click here.
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