Downtown’s remarkable comeback should be cheered — and built upon. More people are eating, shopping and socializing in the heart of Kansas City.

They are bringing new vitality, as chronicled in a series this week in The Star.

The Sprint Center, an expanded convention center and the Power & Light District — all financed with hefty amounts of public assistance — have contributed significantly to the resurgence.

Still, more needs to be done to improve downtown, especially in attracting tourists and residents. Other cities in the Midwest and elsewhere have also vastly improved their downtown areas in recent years.

But if Kansas City had failed to make its own investments in recent years, we would be at a severe competitive disadvantage.

Visitors bring millions of dollars to Kansas City every year. Local tourism officials, though, say downtown needs another large hotel near Bartle Hall. City Hall is looking into whether it should help build a 1,000-room hotel that could host conventions.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser says it’s time to back away from the subsidy mentality, and that is a sensible argument.

The public has invested plenty into making downtown more attractive for conventions, and that should pave the way for private operators to put more of their own money into projects.

Downtown’s future depends on more people moving into condos and apartments — whether they are new or rehabbed, costly or inexpensive.

The city and residential experts must continue to pursue state and federal tax credits that are available for this construction, especially for modest housing that can serve new service-sector employees.

The revival of downtown is not complete, not by a long shot.

The area soon should enjoy the opening of a grocery store, remodeled entertainment venues and, in 2010, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Thanks to political and civic leadership, downtown Kansas City has made extraordinary progress. There should be more to come.