The city of Tuscaloosa actually has a downtown area that is roughly double that of Athens, Ga. Unfortunately, it is so underused you’d never know it. Tuscaloosa is less of a city and more a weak grouping of separate and fractured communities. The University, Downtown, the River Walk, Alberta City, Cottondale and the Midtown area all exist almost independent of each other.

The city of Tuscaloosa has almost no walking or bilking paths that connect all of these individual areas. This is a huge economic detriment to the area because students are unable or unwilling to head downtown to further stimulate economic development.

Athens is often held as the gold standard of college towns in the south because it has completely synergized the University of Georgia and the surrounding community. This synergy has created a vibrant night life that has fostered healthy economic development in the area. The University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa both need to do a better job not just developing the downtown area, but also facilitating a constant influx of students into the community. This will help create a sustainable, student driven nightlife in downtown, which will continue to stimulate the economic development of Tuscaloosa.

How many people have actually walked from campus to the downtown area? The real detriment to the growth of our downtown is that the walkways down University Boulevard aren’t lit well enough for students to feel safe. From the end of the Stripe to Innisfree, the path is almost completely unlit and is littered with dark, closed businesses; moreover, the path continuing past Innisfree into downtown is just as bad.

This real or perceived lack of safety goes a long way in preventing students from venturing past campus and the couple blocks that surround it. It is this lack of an integrated system between campus and the surrounding community that massively hinders the economic growth of our town.

However, this problem is further complicated by the building of hotels downtown. The New Embassy Suites being built downtown will be limited in its benefits to Tuscaloosa by these issues. These hotels are going to thrive on their close proximity to campus, meaning that their patrons won’t have to drive to campus for gameday. Unfortunately, this plan will only be successful if there is a clear, walkable and safe pathway connecting downtown to campus. There is plenty of economic development going on in downtown Tuscaloosa; however, this activity will fail if students don’t take an interest in downtown.

Tuscaloosa is undergoing a time of change. With more money than ever flowing into the University and city, there is an active push to build up the local economy by synergizing it with campus. However, this economic activity is only half of the equation. The investments currently being made in downtown Tuscaloosa can only be sustained by student activity. The University and the city of Tuscaloosa both need to have a prolonged commitment to fostering a healthy influx of students into downtown Tuscaloosa.

Will Gonzalez is a sophomore majoring in secondary education. His column runs biweekly on Tuesdays.