The City Beyond Amazon's ‘Great Return’

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe explains how, as the Amazon (and other) “Great Returns” to the office unfold, it's essential to dig deeper.

1 minute read

May 2, 2023, 11:00 AM PDT

By Charles R. Wolfe @crwolfelaw


Seattle, Washington

SeaRick1 / Shutterstock

Wolfe urges a deep dive beyond quick fixes to assure sustained urban vitality:

The trick will be to assess the ideals that the quick fixes are meant to guarantee and restore, which are, essentially, the first principles of cities. These principles include time-immemorial concepts: safety, the basic connectors between people and where they work, the importance of hubs of culture and human interaction, and the co-creation necessary to keep these Great Returns alive.

The article provides five ideas that focus on long-term regeneration, including safe places and spaces; contextually appropriate tools; looking beyond two dimensions; recognizing cities as evolving, interdisciplinary systems; and proceeding with “place healing” based on inclusionary principles.

Monday, May 1, 2023 in GeekWire

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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