The Reagan White House moved to lower tax rates for developers in the 1980s and then years of low interest rates glutted downtowns with office buildings. Time's up.
Making cities even more anti-human hellscapes is why nobody wants to be in a city in the first place. There needs to be MORE of the things you want to get rid of. You’ll be more likely to visit their diner if walking past the diner, and the cafe, and the pub is a pleasant experience. Local business dies when places become destinations spread out by a concrete mile of car infrastructure because you can’t window shop from a car. Other countries figured it out a long time ago.
Making cities even more anti-human hellscapes is why nobody wants to be in a city in the first place. There needs to be MORE of the things you want to get rid of. You’ll be more likely to visit their diner if walking past the diner, and the cafe, and the pub is a pleasant experience. Local business dies when places become destinations spread out by a concrete mile of car infrastructure because you can’t window shop from a car. Other countries figured it out a long time ago.