A Good Downtown (or City)

So what makes a good downtown? With Tacoma and Hilltop changing so much, I figured I would throw the question out there. Is it good restaurants? That seems like as good a start as any. With good restaurants, you have a place to go to meet up with friends and family for a good bite to eat. People in business can treat and meet clients there. Entertaining can be much easier with a good restaurant. Is it good shopping? And what does good shopping consist of? Does a downtown have to have fancier stores than what you would find in a mall in anytown USA? Or do the stores have to be more eclectic and "urban"? How about good bars and nightlife? Is there supposed to be barhopping or club areas for people to get their groove on at night (or early morning)? Or do there have to be just professional jobs in big ominous buildings? I'm thinking maybe a mix of things, but it would be foolish to think that I would know exactly what other people would assume to be good downtown areas. What do you think? What is it that you look for when deciding if you want to go to some urban area for fun or even to live?