Quote:
Originally Posted by Quixote
This. The problem with North American urban cores is a lack of storefront density that allows for local, neighborhood-serving businesses to exist and sustain themselves. Two specific typologies — the office skyscraper and the rowhouse — generally don't foster the type of walkability that make these livable amenities viable on a large scale.
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The typology of Union Square hasn't changed since its century-long heyday, which ended maybe five years ago. It was throughout modern history the commercial heart of the city, with everything from tourist hotels to restaurants and bars to department stores and specialty boutiques. The residential component has actually increased in recent decades, too. I don't know, but I suspect the retail apocalypse is tied closely to an economy that was built on foreign tourists spending inordinate amounts of money in the department stores and boutiques. COVID and global politics shifted the paradigm--people still visit SF, but the well-heeled Chinese tourists have not returned in the same numbers.
That said, SF's neighborhood high streets have a shit-ton of small storefront density and low vacancies relative to Union Square.
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