6%
Downtown Birmingham has been an office anomaly of the pandemic, with its vacancy rate falling from 10.4% in the first quarter of 2020 at the start of the pandemic to just 6% as of second-quarter 2023.
The increase in underutilized and vacant office buildings in downtowns has led to additional efforts to turn some of them into other uses, such as apartments, condominiums, hotels or other types of space. Federal COVID-19 relief dollars, through the state, have been doled out for some of those projects, and federal legislation has been introduced to provide added incentive. However, redevelopment is a long process and not many conversions have been completed locally so far.
OFFICE TO … SOMETHING ELSE
2
150,000
Cities with 150,000 or fewer workers have largely returned to where they were in terms of foot traffic prior to the pandemic, according to research from Georgetown University and University of Chicago economists.
Large events can bring lots of foot traffic to downtowns, but they can be a big hassle for longtime ground-floor businesses as well as residents and regulars. Therefore, it’s the meat-and-potatoes type of programming and events — yoga in the park, a small 5K, a coordinated group dog walk, as examples — that are in their sights.
EXPERIENCES
1
After the COVID pandemic drastically altered business models, plans, patronage and health, cities large and small — and downtown districts in particular — are carving their way in the new reality. That path includes some creativity, a lot of collaboration and a bit of risk.
Downtown Birmingham's Winter Market. Photo by Chris Cook
By Kirk Pinho
3
Making a shopping experience more convenient is never a bad thing. Downtowns like Royal Oak and Ferndale have started programs for gift cards that are valid at a variety of downtown businesses. They also spare individual businesses the hassle of running their own gift card systems.
DOWNTOWN GIFT CARDS
Brick-and-mortar retailers like those in central business districts continue to grapple with e-commerce spending, which in the third quarter last year represented 15.6% of the $1.82 trillion in retail sales during that time period, up from 14.8% in third-quarter 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
15.6%
4
A 2020 state law allows people to drink alcohol outdoors in designated areas of a given city, and more than 110 communities in Michigan have taken advantage of that so far, by designating so-called “social districts.” More than 30 have been instituted in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston counties in southeast Michigan, and Kent County encompassing Grand Rapids has eight participating communities.
SOCIAL DISTRICTS
Downtown Ann Arbor parking meter revenue in April 2020, down from more than $500,000 two months prior.
$8,000
05
Employees will default to staying home if they don't have a clear reason to be in an office. For many, commuting costs them time and money. Employers need to give employees motivation to spend time commuting. Mentorship and collaboration are two big reasons for being in person. Mentorship increases by 25% when people come together face to face, research shows. "Some employees are also simply more extrinsically motivated and thrive working around colleagues, while others are more intrinsically motivated and productive working from home," says hybrid expert Gleb Tsipursky.
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Oxford summer concert series. Photo provided
The Birmingham Farmers Market. Photo by Chris Cook
Downtown Ferndale. Photo provided
Ferndale Patio Zone. Photo provided
Photo by Bloomberg
Source: Unispace "Returning for Good" report
67%
51%
79%
18-34
35-44
Over 45
Who prefers a 4-day work week?
4 ways cities are striving for something new
After the COVID pandemic drastically altered business models, plans, patronage and health, cities large and small — and downtown districts in particular — are carving their way in the new reality. That path includes some creativity, a lot of collaboration and a bit of risk.
Downtown Birmingham's Winter Market. Photo by Chris Cook
By Kirk Pinho
Oxford summer concert series. Photo provided
1
Large events can bring lots of foot traffic to downtowns, but they can be a big hassle for longtime ground-floor businesses as well as residents and regulars. Therefore, it’s the meat-and-potatoes type of programming and events — yoga in the park, a small 5K, a coordinated group dog walk, as examples — that are in their sights.
EXPERIENCES
The Birmingham Farmers Market. Photo by Chris Cook
The increase in underutilized and vacant office buildings in downtowns has led to additional efforts to turn some of them into other uses, such as apartments, condominiums, hotels or other types of space. Federal COVID-19 relief dollars, through the state, have been doled out for some of those projects, and federal legislation has been introduced to provide added incentive. However, redevelopment is a long process and not many conversions have been completed locally so far.
OFFICE TO … SOMETHING ELSE
150,000
Cities with 150,000 or fewer workers have largely returned to where they were in terms of foot traffic prior to the pandemic, according to research from Georgetown University and University of Chicago economists.
1
150,000
Cities with 150,000 or fewer workers have largely returned to where they were in terms of foot traffic prior to the pandemic, according to research from Georgetown University and University of Chicago economists.
Large events can bring lots of foot traffic to downtowns, but they can be a big hassle for longtime ground-floor businesses as well as residents and regulars. Therefore, it’s the meat-and-potatoes type of programming and events — yoga in the park, a small 5K, a coordinated group dog walk, as examples — that are in their sights.
EXPERIENCES
1
150,000
Cities with 150,000 or fewer workers have largely returned to where they were in terms of foot traffic prior to the pandemic, according to research from Georgetown University and University of Chicago economists.
Large events can bring lots of foot traffic to downtowns, but they can be a big hassle for longtime ground-floor businesses as well as residents and regulars. Therefore, it’s the meat-and-potatoes type of programming and events — yoga in the park, a small 5K, a coordinated group dog walk, as examples — that are in their sights.
EXPERIENCES
Ferndale Patio Zone. Photo provided
1
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4 ways cities are striving for something new