The replacement of retail establishments with restaurants in America’s urban centers has a demographic slant.
The shift from shopping to eating cannot be explained solely in terms of the triumph of online over brick-and-mortar retailing, Aaron Betsky writes. Instead, the transformation of urban commercial space is linked to broader changes in the nation’s upper-middle class culture. Wealthy Americans are eating more, period, and cooking at home less. Moreover, we’ve come to expect more options in terms of special diets and ethnic cuisines.
The rise of the downtown eatery is also connected to residential sprawl. “As sprawl itself spreads, downtown areas become magnets for social activities, rather than for work, living, or shopping, and the bar or restaurant is the anchor of many such interactions,” Betsky writes.
But access to what Betsky calls “food jungles” is limited to those with the means to travel from suburb to city for dinner, and to pay for the meal. The urban poor remain stranded in food deserts, with no real change in their menu in sight.
FULL STORY: You Are Where You Eat: Let Them Eat Downtown
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
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