Strategies for Revitalizing Urban Downtowns

*How New Rochelle, NY is Implementing a New Downtown Retail Playbook* This morning, I attended a packed broker’s breakfast in City of New Rochelle, NY where their dynamo Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert and Commissioner of Development Adam Salgado shared a bold, data-driven plan for the city’s future—one rooted in the retail strategy we developed with them at Streetsense in 2023. This is exactly the kind of proactive communication with the real estate community that cities and BIDs need to embrace. Cities may not control private-sector decision-making—but they do influence it. And in New Rochelle, that influence is being wielded strategically and publicly, with a clear call to action for brokers, tenants, and developers alike. The message was clear - there is opportunity for those willing to embrace it. New Rochelle is on track to welcome 23,000 new residents, driven by a younger, higher-income population that’s reshaping demand for ground-floor uses. This community wants neighborhood goods and services, nightlife, and dining. This won't be the nightlife district of the past, but rather an emerging 18-hour neighborhood filled with residents craving the experiences and authenticity of a walkable urban environment. The city is leading a multifaceted strategy that includes: 🧭 Zoning reforms that now allow entertainment uses once restricted 🚗 Parking exemptions for food & beverage tenants 📉 Reduced parking requirements for other ground-floor uses under 5k sf 💸 $2.25M in fit-out funding, including $1M already committed to eight new and local businesses 🪟 A vacancy management strategy to visually improve inactive spaces 🧒🐕 And my personal favorite, social infrastructure investments including a children’s playground, dog run, and 20 new murals With the heavy lift of the zoning code reforms behind them, they are clearly open for new business! #VanguardNR #DowntownRevitalization #UrbanRetail #CRE #RetailStrategy #ZoningReform #StorefrontDesign #PlaceManagement #EconomicDevelopment #WalkableCities #MainStreet #MixedUseDevelopment #FutureOfRetail #LiveXYZ #Streetsense #PublicPrivatePartnerships #UrbanPlanning #BrokerEngagement #BIDLeadership

When your downtown is filled with empty and blighted buildings, focusing on recruiting businesses is a waste of time and energy. It’s not going to work. Too many communities waste valauble resources trying to attract businesses to districts that are visibly failing. The truth is, no one wants to start a thriving business in a space that screams neglect. Think about it. What kind of entrepreneur is seeking our poorly maintained space? Not the one with a strong, well-thought-out business plan or a vision for success. These spaces often attract businesses that can survive in subpar conditions—businesses that may not add much value to the district. Worse, they perpetuate a sense of decline, discouraging the very kinds of businesses and customers you want to see downtown. Stop chasing after businesses and start addressing the real problem: the physical environment. People are drawn to places that feel welcoming and vibrant, and businesses follow people. A run-down downtown doesn’t attract people. It repels them. Until your district feels alive, inviting, and well-maintained, recruiting quality businesses will remain a futile effort. The public realm—the streets, sidewalks, parks, and plazas—is the foundation of any successful downtown. If your sidewalks are cracked, your lighting is dim, and your streets are cluttered with trash, you’re sending a clear message: this place doesn’t care about itself. People don’t linger in spaces that feel unsafe or uninviting, and businesses won’t succeed in areas that people avoid. Invest in beautifying the public realm. Clean up the streets. Plant trees. Add seating, bike racks, and art installations. Make sure your downtown is walkable, accessible, and attractive. When people start spending time there, businesses will have a reason to follow. Empty buildings are a cancer to any downtown. They’re a visible sign of failure, discouraging investment and dragging down the entire district. You can’t ignore them if you want to create a thriving downtown. Enforce property maintenance codes to prevent further decline. Implement vacant property registration programs to hold absentee landlords accountable. Use creative solutions to activate empty spaces temporarily, such as pop-up shops, art exhibits, or co-working spaces. This will send a signal that your downtown is evolving and worth investing in. A well-maintained, thoughtfully designed downtown feels alive and full of opportunity. Businesses want to be part of that energy. But if your district looks abandoned and neglected, it won’t attract anyone who plans to invest deeply in the community. If your downtown feels vibrant and welcoming, the businesses you want will naturally follow. But if it feels like a place where dreams go to die, don’t be surprised when only marginal businesses show up. Sales follow people, and people are drawn to places that feel alive and cared for. Stop chasing businesses and start fixing the setting. The rest will take care of itself.

What if we designed cities for people, not just cars? Lancaster, CA, is proving it’s possible—in just 8 months, they transformed a five-lane road into The BLVD, a pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined street that has become a model for urban revitalization. What did the transformation look like? Before: A five-lane thoroughfare dominated by cars, with vacant storefronts and limited community engagement. After: A pedestrian-friendly boulevard with a central "rambla" inspired by Barcelona, fostering a thriving downtown with increased foot traffic and economic growth. What’s great is that this wasn’t just an environmental benefit, it was also economic. The $11.5 million initial investment attracted $130 million in private investment and is estimated to generate $273 million in economic output within 4 years. By encouraging people to park once and explore on foot, the redesign has boosted community engagement and safety. Lancaster’s approach reflects the New Urbanism movement, prioritizing walkable, people-centered downtowns over suburban sprawl. Having lived in the Bay Area for nearly 10 years, there’s so much I love about the area — the public transit, the weather, and the people. But I see so much room for improvement. Lancaster’s development is a testament to the future of what cities can look like if we invest in sustainable urban design. I’m a huge fan of mixed-use developments to boost local economies (and imagine living above a local grocery store—no more lugging bags for blocks!). By making sure all stakeholders are involved in the planning, we can integrate green spaces and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure to create welcoming and useable public areas. Lancaster’s transformation proves that cities CAN be people-first, green, and economically booming. What would you change about your city? Drop your thoughts below! #UrbanRevival #CityDesign #SustainableCities #Placemaking #WalkableCities #UrbanPlanning #SmartGrowth

Most cities struggle to balance growth with affordability. Atlanta found a way to do both. The BeltLine was once nothing more than abandoned rail lines and overgrown lots—a forgotten relic of Atlanta’s industrial past. But a bold vision turned those old tracks into a 22-mile loop of trails, parks, and development that’s now the heartbeat of the city. It’s a story of what happens when developers, city planners, and communities work together—and what the future of urban revitalization could look like. 🚶 It started with walkability and public space. Before the BeltLine became a real estate hot spot, it was an idea to reconnect the city. The first major investment wasn’t luxury condos—it was parks, trails, and green spaces that made Atlanta more livable and accessible for everyone. 🏗️ Developers followed the momentum. Once people saw the potential, private investment poured in. Abandoned warehouses turned into modern lofts, neglected lots became mixed-use developments, and entire districts—like Ponce City Market and Krog Street—were revitalized into thriving community hubs. 💡 The community played a key role in shaping the vision. The BeltLine didn’t just attract developers—it engaged residents, local businesses, and artists. Public art installations, small business grants, and affordable housing incentives ensured that longtime Atlantans could benefit from the transformation. 📈 It boosted property values while prioritizing inclusivity. Real estate near the BeltLine surged in value, bringing in new investment. But city planners worked to ensure affordable housing remained part of the equation, with dedicated funding for mixed-income developments and protections for legacy residents. What cities and developers can learn from the BeltLine: 🌳 Public infrastructure drives private investment. Walkability, parks, and green space increase real estate value and make neighborhoods more desirable. 🏡 Balanced growth is possible. When developers and policymakers collaborate, cities can grow without displacing communities. 📍 Mixed-use is the future. The best developments integrate housing, retail, culture, and public space into one seamless experience. The BeltLine proves that real estate isn’t just about buildings—it’s about creating places where people want to live, work, and connect. When cities and developers think long-term, everyone benefits. — Thank you for reading! More about me: Over the past 6 years, I've worked on dozens of commercial real estate acquisitions, from beginner developer's first deals to institutional portfolio acquisitions of $100M+. If you liked my content on commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, and personal growth, connect with me for more! #RealEstateDevelopment #UrbanRevitalization #AtlantaBeltLine #Placemaking #CommercialRealEstate

The conversion of office spaces into mixed use buildings with a strong residential element is an essential strategy to not just create more vitality in any urban center in the U.S. but it's also required to create more critically needed housing options across the whole socio-economic spectrum of urban residents. Chicago can and should be a pioneer in this massive building conversion initiative that the recently approved "LaSalle Street Reimagined" initiative is focused on. The Wall Street Journal reporter Peter Grant stresses an important advantage for Chicago's downtown when he writes: "Chicago is fortunate in having many buildings developed before World War II that have the right design for conversions. Many of these properties currently face financial distress, but those problems could pave the way for conversions. Their eventual resolution will likely involve a new owner paying a discounted price, which would make a conversion more financially viable." Chicago's conversion strategy, now led by our outstanding Planning Commissioner, Ciere Boatright, could be a role model for other cities in the U.S. , since the private/public initiative will create over 1,000 apartment units with one third classified as affordable. Chicago can reimagine its downtown core as the most inclusive urban core in the U.S., if we continue executing and broadening this private/public partnership approach.

Sharing my piece from today's cover page of the Chicago Tribune Opinion section about a vision for the future of urban revitalization based on my experience from public service in Chicago. I address the widely-discussed decline of traditional downtowns post-pandemic as well as neighborhood disinvestment and provide three streets in Chicago that offer hopeful case studies for the future of cities: - South Cottage Grove Ave: The Discover customer care center employing 1,000+ in an abandoned big box retail store that is now generating significant economic activity in the neighborhood. The power of Corporate America bringing jobs to a disinvested neighborhood is a lesson I hope others will learn from and that can be repeated widely across Chicago and other cities to decrease the unemployment rates of disinvested neighborhoods. - LaSalle Street: One of the largest office-to-residential conversion projects in the country is taking place which will convert 1.6 million square feet of unused office space into a mix of apartments, restaurants, shops and workspace...over 1,000 new residential units of which 300 will be affordable. - State Street: Leaning into the experience economy, Sundays on State (along with festivals such as Suenos, Lolla, NASCAR) show the power of transforming public spaces into new amenities for residents and visitors alike. As I mention in the article: "What excites me is this: Each project made real progress, strengthening the forces that attract and retain people in urban areas. These initiatives created jobs, added housing and fostered connections when they were needed most. They were made possible through collaboration among city leaders, communities and private companies, which focused on welcoming more people to share in Chicago’s prosperity and potential. I’m excited that the spirit behind these projects echoes globally. You will find inspiration and opportunity on every block, in every neighborhood, in every city. It’s powered by the same energy that, throughout history, has spurred us to build ports and rail yards that helped us trade goods, roadways that connected our neighborhoods and skyscrapers that raised our sights and sense of possibility. Today, that energy continues to remake our cities in an image of today’s world — more dynamic, more interconnected, more inclusive. So ignore the clickbait. The story of cities today isn’t one of demise. It’s about rebirth." https://lnkd.in/gXyiixSk