The Urban Retail Reckoning – What Our Public and Non-Profit Sector Partners Can Do About It
A new Vital City article co-authored by Larisa Ortiz, who leads our Public + Non-Profit Solutions practice, and Sulin Carlin of HR&A, cuts straight to a challenge we see in nearly every downtown we work in: urban retail—the downtowns and Main Streets we all know and love—is undergoing a period of profound change.
The pressures are real. Hybrid work has diminished daytime foot traffic, and online shopping continues to erode brick-and-mortar spending. In response, many downtowns are leaning heavily on experiential offerings—like dining and entertainment—to drive visitation. But these uses alone are not a silver bullet, especially in districts with legacy retail space built for a different era when suburban competition was minimal or nonexistent.
At Streetsense, we’ve worked in dozens of cities since the pandemic—building on hundreds of downtown engagements over the past decade. We understand the critical role that public and non-profit sector leaders play in driving strategy and building momentum for change. Many of the strategies highlighted in the Vital City piece align with the work we do every day: helping city leaders, business improvement districts, and other intermediaries convene stakeholders, forge consensus, and implement actionable plans for downtown retail success. These strategies are not theoretical—we’re putting them into practice across the country.
Read the full article here.
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