In the thick of the campaign, the American Institute of Architects invited the eleven major candidates for mayor of San Francisco to debate their respective visions for the City by the Bay.
When the topics of density, smart growth, and sustainability came up, "each candidate except Hall was supportive but offered no specifics about what dense development might look like," reports George Calys. Dennis Herrera thought "balance" was the answer; who could argue with that?
"Mayor Ed Lee did tie density to workforce housing, the political euphemism for middle class home ownership in San Francisco, but didn't reveal exactly how he'd go about creating it. All the candidates liked the idea of making mid-Market a more vibrant area, but whether tax breaks for businesses in the area (as Mayor Lee achieved earlier this year) or creating an arts district were the answers, no one really seemed to have much to offer."
FULL STORY: Of mice and mayors: San Francisco candidates thin on urban vision
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Major US Cities Still Suffering Downtown Decline
Research shows that the “donut effect” hollowing out central business districts since the pandemic continues to cause economic decline in the 12 largest American cities.
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