Ennis Davis
Ennis Davis, AICP, is an urban planner and member of the city of Jacksonville's Downtown Development Review Board. He is also co-owner of The Jaxson and Modern Cities. A civic activist dedicated to improving communities, Ennis is also vice president of membership services and outreach for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, a Florida Trust for Historic Preservation trustee, Groundwork Jacksonville board member, and author of award-winning books Reclaiming JacksonvilleCohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville. He holds a bachelor’s of architecture degree from Florida A&M University. Reach Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com.
Featured image for “THE JAXSON | 5 Jacksonville bicycle history facts”
May 3, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 Jacksonville bicycle history facts

In honor of National Bike Month, The Jaxson has five Jacksonville bicycle history facts and sites: Built in 1925 for…

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April 19, 2022

THE JAXSON | 7 historic Arab American sites in Jacksonville

Arab Americans have a long history in Jacksonville tracing back to the 19th century. Between 1890 and 1920, hundreds of…

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April 12, 2022

OPINION | 5 types of missing middle housing Jax should revive

Missing middle housing represents many types of residences ranging in scale between single-family homes and massive apartment buildings. From shotgun…

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Dedication ceremony of Clara White Mission on July 13, 1947.
April 5, 2022

THE JAXSON | 6 surviving Chitlin’ Circuit sites in Jacksonville

Home to the country’s largest concentration of Gullah Geechee descendants, Jacksonville emerged as Florida’s premier Chitlin’ Circuit destination during the…

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Bronzeville in Chicago
March 22, 2022

THE JAXSON | Bronzeville: A revitalization example for Jacksonville

Those hoping to revitalize Jacksonville’s historic Black neighborhoods should take a look at Chicago’s Bronzeville. Located in the South Side,…

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March 15, 2022

THE JAXSON | 6 women’s history sites in Jacksonville

In honor of Women’s History Month, here are six sites associated with women who transformed our community and nation. Born…

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A mosaic of Zora Neale Hurston at the Jessie Ball duPont Center by Celso Gonzalez | Ennis Davis
March 1, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 female writers from Jacksonville

In honor of the start of Women’s History Month, here are five women with ties to Jacksonville whose writing affected…

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February 22, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 Gullah Geechee dishes to try in Jacksonville

The Gullah Geechee descended from enslaved Central and West Africans who worked the plantations of the Lowcountry in the coastal…

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February 8, 2022

THE JAXSON | 6 Gullah Geechee communities in Jax

Who are the Gullah Geechee? The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of Central and West Africans who have traditionally…

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February 1, 2022

THE JAXSON | 5 Black history sites in Brooklyn

In honor of the beginning of Black History Month, here’s a review of sites in the quickly changing neighborhood of…

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January 25, 2022

OPINION | A sad lesson from Broad Street’s past

If you travel down Broad Street in Downtown Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood today, you won’t pass by much that’s open. In…

Featured image for “OPINION | Rethinking Jacksonville’s convention center dilemma”
The 2014 APA Florida Annual Conference at the Prime F. Osborn Convention Center. This 10,000-square-foot meeting room was once the grand lobby for the largest train station in the country south of Washington, D.C.
January 18, 2022

OPINION | Rethinking Jacksonville’s convention center dilemma

A new convention center has been in Jacksonville’s long-term plans for decades, but the Downtown Investment Authority now says it…

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January 11, 2022

THE JAXSON | Northbank Renaissance continues with 4 new projects

Driven by adaptive reuse and historic incentives, Jacksonville’s Downtown Northbank is experiencing a veritable renaissance of new development. Here’s a…

January 4, 2022

OPINION | Changing the urban landscape in 2022

Jacksonville’s Urban Core is growing again after decades of decline, the Emerald Trail has broken ground, and the Downtown Northbank…

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December 21, 2021

OPINION | What Shad Khan gets right – and wrong – about Downtown

Jaguars owner Shad Khan recently criticized the progress of Downtown revitalization in Jacksonville, saying the area has “gone downhill” over…

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The Duval County School Board administration building. Michael Rivera at Wikipedia
December 14, 2021

OPINION | Duval Schools headquarters must stay Downtown

Duval County Public Schools’ announcement that it plans to sell its Southbank headquarters and relocate is welcome news for those…

Featured image for “OPINION | The forgotten factor behind Downtown Jax’s struggles”
December 7, 2021

OPINION | The forgotten factor behind Downtown Jax’s struggles

Analyses of Downtown Jacksonville’s continued struggles typically focus on factors within Downtown’s boundaries. Though generally overlooked, one external factor may…

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November 23, 2021

OPINION | What hotels can do for Downtown vibrancy

A new Home2 Suites in Brooklyn is the latest hotel project moving forward in Downtown Jacksonville. With more hotels in…

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A flooded street reveals some of Jacksonville's infrastructure needs.
November 16, 2021

OPINION | 5 infrastructure bill projects Jacksonville should pursue

President Joe Biden finally signed his hard-fought $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Monday, November 15.…

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November 9, 2021

THE JAXSON | These are the projects revitalizing Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside

Many cities are looking for solutions to the issues caused by gentrification and displacement. One emerging strategy is “‘withintrification,” when…

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November 2, 2021

THE JAXSON | Can townhomes plug Jax housing’s ‘missing middle’?

Two new projects in LaVilla and San Marco are creating something in short supply in Jacksonville: urban townhomes. Can they…

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October 26, 2021

OPINION | Why Amtrak should be on Jacksonville’s radar

Jacksonville stands to be a major beneficiary over the next 15 years as Amtrak plans to add service across the…

Featured image for “OPINION | One Riverside and how to activate an urban sidewalk”
October 20, 2021

OPINION | One Riverside and how to activate an urban sidewalk

One Riverside Avenue, the development planned to replace the former Florida Times-Union headquarters, will likely be up for final site…

Featured image for “OPINION | The future of Bay Street depends on ‘clustering’”
Cowford Chophouse in Downtown Jacksonville | Photo Credit The Jaxson
October 12, 2021

OPINION | The future of Bay Street depends on ‘clustering’

In city planning, clustering is part of what we at The Jaxson like to call the “Three C’s”: the clustering…