It’s no secret that Uptown has seen a decline in commercial activity for years. The Uptown of yesteryear was a fun one, suited for its time. But in 2026, the community needs to be realistic about what makes a thriving contemporary neighborhood.
There are qualities about the area that set it apart from anywhere else in the city: proximity to the Chain of Lakes, strong transit corridors, and rich historical character. From as early as 1880, Uptown was an urban oasis for those seeing a respite from the heat of downtown.
As other areas like the North Loop and 50th & France have risen to the occasion and provided sparkling new commercial destinations, Uptown has the opportunity to evolve and meet the needs of its own community.
Mayor Jacob Frey promised last spring that the buds of progress in Uptown would be seen. If Frey had a vested interest in making Uptown a place that meets the needs of its residents, he would mobilize the many departments under his direct oversight to support the small businesses who are increasingly priced out of their ability to serve us.
The reality is that under a strong mayor system, the City Council is limited in their ability to mobilize these City departments themselves.
That hasn’t stopped people from misdirecting criticism that belongs with Frey. Members of the council, past and present, have allocated funds for safety ambassadors and crime prevention specialists to assist the reinvigoration of Uptown. These funds have sat unused or were directed elsewhere under Frey’s leadership, leaving Uptown to fend for itself.
Around the one-year anniversary of Frey’s “buds of progress” declaration, the mayor gave a short speech to the East Isles Neighborhood Association in April 2026. He focused mostly on policing and a little on developments like the new Brownstone Jazz Club and the Seven Points’ Doran apartment construction.
Instead of laying out his own proposals for Uptown, the mayor asked the audience to patronize Uptown businesses every week. Begging constituents for an economic boost reveals what he believes he can do with his strong mayor system: nothing.
Frey has no vision of how he could utilize the Department of Public Works to improve the built environment. He has no idea how to leverage the Community Planning and Economic Development Department to utilize the vacant big box stores that litter the neighborhood. Frey can only stand on the sidelines and cheer for private enterprise to hopefully, maybe, possibly, improve Uptown.
Uptown is in dire need of input from residents and workers that live in the area. Uptown residents have decided to hold the first People’s Assembly where residents and local workers will gather to envision a livable future for their neighborhood.
By building a space for neighbors to make communal demands of Uptown’s leaders, they can amplify community voices that are individually easier for Frey and his staff to ignore.
If the City continues to leave Uptown’s problems to be solved by private enterprise, an assembly provides a place for people to act independently in pursuit of real solutions.
The first Uptown People’s Assembly will convene at 1 p.m. on June 13 at the First Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave. S., in the South Uptown Neighborhood.
Ethan Knight is an Uptown resident
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