The Real Reason Downtowns Are Declining
17th May 2023
Crime, on-line shopping, telecommuting and exorbitant rents are all contributing to the decline of downtowns, observes an article on CNN Business. But the real reason downtowns are declining, according to the article, is that people don’t live in dense enough neighborhoods.
“To reinvent downtown retail,” asserts the article without any room for debate or citation of evidence, cities need “denser neighborhoods with a broader mix of affordable housing, experiential retail, restaurants, entertainment, parks and other amenities.” Where have I heard that before?
How are denser neighborhoods going to solve crime and homeless problems? How are they going to fill office spaces when people are working at home? How will they get people to stop shopping on line? How will they make rents more affordable when higher densitis increase land values?