What Makes a Town Center?

So what is a town center really?  In the latest edition of The A. J. Advisor we asked: Is it a definition or an expectation? Do you think Odenton Town Center meets it? Should people be re-educated on the definition of a town center or should the definition be re-created to meet with today’s way of life and does it matter?  Some have suggested there is no need to call it a town center if it works well and provides all it was planned for, isn’t it just “Odenton”?  Today’s general public believes the name Town Center means shopping center.

As laid out in his A. J. Advisor article Is Odenton Truly a Town Center, Stuart gives the Wikipedia definition and he believes Odenton has the defined elements of a town center with the exception of shopping.

Michele believes you need the defined elements but to truly be a Town Center you need the consistent activity of people.  While the train and the library do attract people, the isolation of the settings do not give you the vibe of a continuous hub of activity and there is no currently noted outdoor area or calendar plan to gather the community for public events.

I believe the elements of the Odenton Town Center are here but they are not properly connected. In my article, Aligning the Planets for Odenton, I point out the center of town has yet to be created; we are still waiting for a sense of place.

As retail at The Village of Odenton Station fills in, the ever elusive Odenton Square (known as the TOD project) is developed and the parking garages are finally built, all of these opinions just might merge. We may be able to claim all defined elements for what makes a town center to include shopping, a hub of activity and most of all, a sense of place.

What makes a town center and should Odenton Town Center continue to keep its name?  Read our latest edition of the A. J. Advisor and let us know your thoughts.