It seemed fitting that the fifth edition of CityFest began with a panel titled, “The Future of Downtown,” staged at UTSA’s Downtown Campus, with opening remarks delivered by UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.

The future of San Antonio’s downtown seems inextricably linked now with the future of the UTSA Downtown Campus. If local leaders have often said, “great cities have great downtowns,” they now frequently add, “great downtowns have great universities.”...