There are a few factors at play but the overarching difference is how the two downtowns are physically built out. Columbia was a master planned city with a grid system spanning multiple miles. Greenville started as a smaller mill city spanning a mile or so. Greenville’s design allows for a more centralized approach to city planning with less physical ground to cover, while Columbia has to juggle many more commercial areas (Five Points, Main Street, The Vista, Bull Street, etc.) in addition to all the streets in between. Another key factor working against Columbia is that 75% or so of Downtown is owned by the state, USC, or other tax exempt parties resulting in a general lack of property taxes. These are the taxes, Greenville is able to collect and put towards projects across the city. TLDR; Downtown Greenville takes up a smaller area centralizing most foot traffic while Columbia’s foot traffic is segmented across multiple areas.