I think the issue here is our proximity to NYC, and New Jerseys sprawling urbanity.

Go to places like Pittsburgh, Memphis, Dallas, Columbus, Cincinnati, even Boston, and those cities are the centerpiece of a ring of suburbs and then rural area ...so if you want to go to the best steakhouse, the theatre, a sleek place for drinks, etc...or want to work in TV or Radio, or the Newspaper, work in a major law firm or corperation, etc..you've got to travel to the downtown area of those cities.

But, with Newark, you've got a lot of that not only close by in NYC, but also in places like Montclair, Westfield, various Bergen County towns, the shore, etc.

Now, that isn't to say that Newark can't still be the center of all of this north jersey sprawl, and if you look at the pattern of development, downtown Newark actually is the center of a lot of it, but its going to take a lot more work to get it there. Until then, it's just one of many downtowns, with its own character, love it or hate it.

Cities like Philly are able to manage it, and Miami, Ft Lauderdale etc, despite being close to sprawl...Newark had done it in the past despite being close to NYC, but that was before a bunch of the suburban growth and the rise of Hudson County as a destination rather than a residential and industrial hub. Newark has the infrastructure but it's got take a conscious decision to want to be that, and it takes critical mass. Prudential Center, NJPAC, and Symphony Hall are a start....and just recently you finally see an upscale place like Swahili Village open up...but we need more, and they need help staying open and attracting business. Places like B&P and Dutch's are close too, but they struggle a bit to stay busy, and it's a problem.

Not sure whether it will happen or not, but Newark is trying, with all of these developments and planned businesses. But its gotta step up a great deal in terms of the commercial places if we expect to have it actually come to fruition.