Back in the 1990s, my daily commute to downtown Manhattan had me shlepping past the Fulton fish market to my fancy office building with windows overlooking South Street Seaport. The Meatpacking District, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem… Undesirable and not on a real estate listing anyone would touch. Until someone had the vision to see the possibility and make that investment. And once it started… Well, fish market became FiDi and Meatpacking was rebranded as the Highline and it all suddenly seemed so obvious...
So by the time I got to Jacksonville, the fourth fastest growing city in Florida, the options seemed endless. If downtown can be the Manhattan equivalent, well, Riverside, Springfield, Brooklyn are the local versions of Riverdale, Sunnyside and- well- Brooklyn. And I can see it clearly... So can my guest, she is third generation Jacksonville, a fixture in the local landscape of art, culture and entrepreneurship.
But I wonder, when we can’t see someone else’s vision, should we look harder or stop looking? And that’s what we’re going to tackle today...
Emily Moody is the Director of Community Engagement for Future of Cities where she's helping to co-create a vibrant arts and innovation community at Phoenix Arts District. She also owns Wolf & Cub, a brick-and-mortar concept shop and lifestyle brand in Downtown Jacksonville.
Check out the latest events with Phoenix Arts District here: phxjax.com/events.
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