Downtowns
Office Conversion Sees No Sign of Slowing
The adaptive reuse of office buildings for residential and other uses will grow by as much as 63 percent in 2024 over last year.
Denver Voters Approve Downtown Revitalization Bonds
The city wants to bring new projects and residents to the downtown core, where 13 million feet of vacant office and retail space await new tenants.
How the Post-Covid Reality Is Reshaping Central Business Districts and Urban Centers
U.S. cities are working to redefine their downtowns in response to the “donut effect:” people and businesses abandoning city centers and flocking to suburban areas and beyond.
States Look to Eliminate Happy Hour Bans to Lure People Downtown
More than 20 states have laws banning or limiting happy hours at bars and restaurants. Now, some are revisiting these regulations in an effort to boost commerce in struggling downtown districts.
Saving Walkable Urban Places
A few key changes can help downtowns out of the ‘urban doom loop.’
Office Vacancies Drag Down Property Taxes
Downtown office buildings around the country are selling for much lower prices than before the pandemic, prompting questions about the future of central business districts.
Denver Bans Downtown Food Trucks — Again
City officials say the controversial policy, first enacted in 2022, is an effort to reduce crime in the nightlife district.
North Texas Town Launches Downtown Revitalization Plan
The Design Downtown Denton plan takes aim at improving walkability and highlighting the city’s historic assets.
Revitalizing Connecticut’s Downtowns
An injection of federal funding is helping restore buildings and infrastructure to bring residents and businesses back to central districts.
Seattle Downtown Plan Expands Permitted Uses
The Downtown Activation Plan shifts from Euclidean to form-based zoning to encourage more commercial development.
Is the City Moving to the Suburbs?
Is the recent trend to build more walkable suburbs a sign of sustainable change?
Study: How to Revitalize Downtown Minneapolis
A proposal calls for a reevaluation of the city’s skyways, a focus on street-facing businesses, and an improved public realm.
Draft Plan Takes Aim at Downtown DC Revitalization
The plan calls for policies that support adaptive reuse, new housing construction, and improved public parks and facilities.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Why Big Box Stores Are Abandoning Their Urban Experiment
And why that may not be such a bad thing.
How Salt Lake City Maintained a Vibrant Downtown
Unlike other major cities, the Utah capital’s downtown has seen a steady stream of visitors even as demand for office space diminishes.
Pop-Up Shops are Reviving Dormant Downtowns
The future of downtown retail is uncertain. In the meantime, pop-ups fill the gaps and provide small businesses with unique opportunities to showcase their wares.
To Revitalize Downtowns, Cities Create Designated ‘Drinking Zones’
Mirroring New Orleans’ French Quarter or the Las Vegas Strip, some cities are experimenting with loosening open container laws in certain commercial areas.
How to Kickstart an Urban Resurgence
In the age of remote work, relying on major employers to boost a city’s economic fortunes may no longer be enough.
Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
