How often do residents visit your downtown?
A new study from Gensler Research Institute reveals how much people actually visit their local downtowns, reports Ryan Kushner in Smart Cities Dive. "In North America, 47% of downtown visitors fall in the reluctant category, 23% as errand runners, 17% enthusiasts and 13% only visit for special events."
The survey, designed to test the "stickiness" of various downtowns, shows that "People aren’t staying away because they dislike their downtowns. They’re staying away because the pull isn’t strong enough, the friction is too high, or both," according to Sofia Song, Global Cities Research Leader at Gensler’s Research Institute.
Song adds, "Visitors who perceive their downtown as vibrant look for five key attributes, according to the report: After-hours activities, attractiveness, activities and events, good lighting and a sense of personal safety." The report notes, "The strategic goal should not be to simply increase total visits, but to move residents up the engagement ladder, converting Reluctant Visitors and Errand Runners into Enthusiasts."
Read the full story: These 10 US cities have the ‘stickiest’ downtowns
Op-Ed: Streetcars Should Actually Serve Locals
While they're currently in vogue, streetcars are only worthwhile if they can be a viable option for local residents. Unfortunately, this is rarely how the systems are designed.
After Culdesac's success in Tempe, Mesa approves new 1,000-unit 'car-light' development
Culdesac Mesa will take the same transit-oriented approach with a compact, walkable design and access to transit and shared mobility options.
Houston improved walkability ahead of the World Cup. Will it last?
Some mobility advocates say the city's 'Green Corridor' amounts to 'lipstick on a pig' rather than a true commitment to better transit and walking infrastructure.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority