It’s no secret that Downtown Denver’s commercial real estate market has experienced more than its share of struggles. The district’s total office vacancy was 33 percent as of the third quarter of 2025, according to commercial real estate brokerage Avison Young. Meanwhile, the Downtown Denver Partnership says the retail vacancy rate is about 30 percent…To read more — login/subscribe
The city of Baltimore, MD (est. pop. 565,239), recently spent $13.3 million to buy a hotel that will house homeless women. It’s just the latest example of local officials, downtown leaders, and homeless advocates seeking solutions to a stubborn crisis. Cities across the country have used federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money or other…To read more — login/subscribe
Across North America, downtown leaders are challenged by delivery vehicles. Amazon, FedEx, and UPS dispatch fleets of trucks and vans to drop off packages. Consumers increasingly order food and groceries for delivery. That means a lot of congestion and pollution, not to mention those vexing vehicles, hazard lights flashing, blocking traffic. As a result, city…To read more — login/subscribe
Since American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010, the campaign has grown to have a multi-billion-dollar annual impact on independent retailers nationwide. The event, celebrated on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving Day, provides an opportunity for downtown leaders to foster community engagement, and for independent businesses to shine. But moving foot traffic and dollars…To read more — login/subscribe
In the heart of downtown Fort Collins, CO, a five-point intersection was dramatically reworked to improve sight lines for road users and to address long-standing right-of-way confusion. The project received funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative. The grant program launched in 2019 giving up to $25,000 per locale for visual art interventions on roadways,…To read more — login/subscribe
Supermarket returns downtown, tests new format In January 2024 PCC Community Markets shut its downtown Seattle location citing financial difficulties. Then in September 2025, the local chain announced that it would return downtown but in a new, smaller format. The PCC Corner Market will have a “curated selection of fresh, hot, and prepared foods” along…To read more — login/subscribe
With pedestrian fatalities stubbornly holding at historically high levels, safety advocates are pushing for new policies that make it less hazardous to walk or cycle in U.S. cities. Some 1,700 municipalities have adopted Complete Streets initiatives, according to Smart Growth America, a nonprofit focused on transportation policy. The Complete Streets approach urges construction of streets…To read more — login/subscribe
In Wedgewood-Houston, galleries and light manufacturing often exist side-by-side. As urban districts embrace small-scale manufacturing, cities are beginning to adopt artisan zoning as a land use strategy and economic development tool. Small-scale manufacturers can pick up some of the slack left by the factory jobs of yesteryear, while providing little of the disruption of traditional…To read more — login/subscribe
Troubled Monument Square in Portland, ME. With safety complaints increasing in Portland, ME (est. pop. 69,104), Downtown Portland launched a Downtown Ambassadors program this summer. The safety workers will focus on removing trash, removing graffiti, and picking up needles. “Portland Downtown is taking action to maintain our vibrant downtown district,” Cary Tyson, executive director of…To read more — login/subscribe
