About six years ago, aerial photographs of the University District near downtown Spokane showed that something was definitely under way there. The Sirti building, for instance, stood out. But there were few cars and even fewer pedestrians. It didn’t seem likely that much more would happen there soon. The national and local economy had been torpedoed by the dot-com bust and by the Sept. 11 tragedy.

A thriving University District seemed more pipe dream than possibility. But dozens of Spokane men and women kept dreaming anyway. They envisioned people of all ages – students, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, business owners – living, walking, eating and mingling in an area filled with intellectual capital and natural beauty.

And their dream unfolded – more slowly than some liked, but unfold it did.

Last week, dozens of the men and women who worked the dream gathered at The Edge, a condominium project coming to life in the former Western Soap Building. It’s near the intersection of Division and Sprague, and it’s not obvious yet, but the condominium fits into the next big dream for the University District. Housing will be an essential part of its success.

Last week, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire named the University District an Innovation Partnership Zone, which will encourage even more economic development there through technology, higher education and research. Washington State University’s new nursing school building is well under way on the Riverpoint campus, which is considered the heart of the district.

And Eastern Washington University recently completed its move from downtown to the Riverpoint campus. More than 2,000 students learn there, and more are on their way. Buses wind through the campus now and cars stop for pedestrians.

Next year, Riverside Avenue will punch across Division, connecting the downtown core with the district.

The University District offers an example to emulate when undertaking big-scale civic projects. It took private and public money and partnership, as well as cooperation among several higher-education institutions and businesses.

It also took persistence, patience and perseverance through Spokane’s economic ups and downs and through the discouragement that comes when things seem stalled, as they did six years ago. Some said back then that this was an impossible dream for Spokane. Turns out, it wasn’t. And there’s more to come. Drive through the University District soon and see for yourself.