Downtown Residents Are Not Nearly Enough To Sustain Downtown Retail
We’re hearing a lot about COVID-19 having ushered in a “new localism”, with neighborhoods reorienting towards their local shopping streets. In an urban Downtown, however, that will not be close to enough: even with growing numbers of residents, such a district will need to pull from a much larger area–as a destination–in order to support its sizable retail footprint. And in order to do so, its retail brand and mix must be correctly “positioned” within a broader competitive ecology. That’s what I said this week as a panelist for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Downtown Moline, IL, which must compete with four other Downtowns in the Quad Cities, and while my point might not have offered the sex appeal of zip lines and waterspouts (link below), it will be a critical one to keep in mind as Downtowns look to elevate their game(s) in the months and years ahead.