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☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ Detroit's 'doom loop' was unlike any other American city. Its downtown is now a model for urban reinvention.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the city's downtown has one of the most stunning urban reinvention stories in the United States. Downtown Detroit recently hosted the NFL Draft to rave reviews and even broke an attendance record. AdvertisementLast week, more than 775,000 football fans converged in downtown Detroit for three days as the city hosted the NFL Draft. NFL fans near the draft stage at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit on April 27, 2024. Downtown Detroit has an abundance of towering, historic buildings that are perfect for office-to-housing conversions and office renovations that have taken hold in downtowns across the country.

Persons: —, Ryan Kang, Spencer Platt, Gen Zs, it's, Dan Gilbert Organizations: Downtown, NFL, Service, Detroit, Nashville, Martius, Renaissance, Miami, General Motors, Getty, Rocket Mortgage, Quicken, GM, Renaissance Center Locations: Detroit, United States, Downtown Detroit, Hudson's Detroit, downtowns

☆ The city whose 'doom loop' just might be worse than San Francisco's
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An office building in St. Louis sold for $3.6 million after selling for $205 million 18 years prior. Downtown St. Louis is filled with unoccupied buildings and an unwillingness to visit them. The steep drop in the tower's value is just one sign that St. Louis' central business district is struggling, reports say. Indeed, St. Louis' downtown resembles a ghost town with a number of boarded-up buildings, according to The Wall Street Journal's Konrad Putzier. AdvertisementThe problem with Midwestern cities, like St. Louis, is that there's not much attracting people to the center of the city — and that applies to commuters, tourists, and residents.

Persons: Louis, —, Konrad Putzier, Glenn MacDonald, Business Insider's Eliza Relman, Michael Hicks, BI's Relman, Relman, Tracy Hadden Loh Organizations: Service, T, Goldman Group, News, Washington University, Olin Business School, Business, University of Toronto, Midwest ., Ball State University, Midwest, Brookings Institution Locations: St, Downtown St, Francisco's, North America, Midwest, Midwest . San Francisco, Indiana, —, San Francisco and New York

☆ Downtown Los Angeles Places Another Big Bet on the Arts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Robin Pogrebin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For decades the effort to revitalize downtown Los Angeles has been tied to arts projects, from the construction of the midcentury modern Music Center in 1964 to the addition of Frank Gehry’s soaring stainless steel Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. But the pandemic was tough on downtowns and cultural institutions around the country, and Los Angeles has been no exception. Its downtown office vacancy rates climbed above 25 percent. Homelessness and crime remain concerns. Many arts organizations have yet to recover their prepandemic audiences.

Persons: Frank Organizations: Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall Locations: Los Angeles

☆ I've been a Southwest pilot for 33 years. The loneliness affects my mental health, but I've learned tricks for coping.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Robert Graves started flying in the Air Force and has been a Southwest Airlines pilot for 33 years. On an average day, I'll pilot three to five flights. When I'm away as a pilot, I'm by myself, but when I'm back home, I'm a husband and a dad to four kids. I rarely know the other pilot I'm flying with. If that's the case, I'll spend the night grabbing dinner, going to the gym, taking a walk, or exploring the city alone.

Persons: Robert Graves, —, I'm, I've, Dale Carnegie, I'd, we'll, walkable downtowns, we're, That's, It's Organizations: Air Force, Southwest Airlines, Service, FAA Locations: layovers, Japan, Nashville, Baltimore, San Diego

☆ Boomers fed up with Florida are moving to southern Appalachia, fueling a population spike in longtime rural communities
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Boomers who once flocked to Florida are increasingly ditching the state for southern Appalachia. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementFor decades, Florida has remained a top destination for retirees looking to settle down roots as they enjoy their golden years. Many boomers moving into southern Appalachia have also bypassed Florida altogether. But some new residents fear Dawson County will simply become a northern outpost of the vast Atlanta metropolitan region, known for its suburban sprawl.

Persons: Boomers, —, Ed Helms, Johnnie, Billy Thurmond Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Northeast Locations: Florida, Appalachia, Midwest, Southwest Virginia, North Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Appalachian, Dawson County , Georgia, Dawsonville, Atlanta, Dawson, Pickens, Panama City Beach , Florida, Dawson County

☆ A real-estate investor who owns 110 units switched from residential to commercial properties because they make money faster. He shares his strategy for beefing up the cash flow they generate.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Like most investors that use the method, he was initially fixing up residential properties and renting them out to tenants. Instead of buying homes to fix up, he started purchasing commercial properties like office buildings, warehouses, and retail spaces. Related storiesThe better a commercial property is, the more rent one can charge for it, which directly impacts its value. In seven of the commercial properties that Craig owns, he said he has a 100% occupancy rate. "I'm just grinding way harder than any commercial real estate broker would ever grind for me because they have 50 or 100 clients."

Persons: —, Adam Craig, it's, Craig, they're, he's Organizations: Service, Business Insider, Business Locations: San Francisco , New York City

☆ Bike lanes are good for business
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Freaked-out business owners have been fighting bike lanes coast to coast, in cities from San Diego to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Rowe compared sales taxes in these “Neighborhood Business Districts” with those in similar districts in the city that didn’t get bike lanes. In one NBD, which replaced car lanes and three parking spots with two bike lanes, sales closely tracked those in the bike-less areas, both in peaks and troughs. Sometimes nothing changed, but more often the areas near bike lanes wound up with more employees and more revenue. It’s the new normal.” All the data in the world may prove that bike lanes are good for business.

Persons: —, ”, Joseph Poirier, Nelson Nygaard, “, It’s, I’ve, Kyle Rowe, Rowe, it’s, Poirer, Jenny Liu, Wei Shi, Liu, Poirier, Shi, ” Liu, downtowns, who’s, Larisa Ortiz, ” Poirier, Adam Rogers Organizations: —, University of Washington, New York City Department of Transportation, ”, San, Portland State University, Center for Urban Studies, Portland State, Boston Globe, Automobile, Getty, Business Locations: San Diego, Cambridge , Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, ”, San Francisco, there’s, Oregon, Portland, San Francisco , Minneapolis, Memphis, Minneapolis, America’s, downtowns, United States, Chicago ; New York City, Angeles

☆ How millennials could give the suburbs a much-needed makeover
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The suburbs are home to the vast majority of Americans, including millennials priced out of cities. AdvertisementThese days, the American suburbs are seeing something of a revival after a few decades of the back-to-the-city movement, in which mostly young people flocked to urban centers. The rise of remote work coupled with the soaring costs of urban housing has pulled, or pushed, lots of millennials and others to the suburbs and even far-flung exurbs. Exclusive, isolating, and inconvenient suburbsThe American suburbs have always been flawed in a host of ways. Kotkin says the American suburbs have “won the battle” with cities, reigning as the more economically and demographically dominant place.

Persons: —, ”, Andrew Justus, ” Justus, “ We’ve, Adie Tomer, Tomer, Joe Sohm, Joel Kotkin, Kotkin, “, ” Tomer, Tayana Panova, ” Panova Organizations: Service, Niskanen, Brookings Institution, MIT, Chapman University, National Review, metros Locations: American, it’s, Paoli , Indiana, America’s, Somerville , Massachusetts, Shaker Heights , Ohio, Orange , California, Bronxville, Westchester County, Woodlands, Texas, Houston, ”, walkable, Suburban

☆ Your next landlord may be a pro sports team
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But team owners in recent years have turned to real estate development to bring in extra cash and drive up the asset values of their franchises. “It makes perfect sense for a team owner to play real estate,” said Propheter. “That means that team owners do have a lot of leverage,” he said. “Stadium subsidies transfer wealth from the general tax base to billionaire team owners, millionaire players, and the wealthy cohort of fans” who regularly attend games. “Generally speaking, the people who come off well are the team owners and the developers,” Zimbalist said.

Persons: ”, Geoffrey Propheter, Daniel Slim, “, Andrew Zimbalist, Louis, Harry Cabluck, Bruce Ratner, Stan Kroenke, Matthew Grimes Jr, Steve Cohen, Mark Cuban’s, Adelson, “ I’m, ” Zimbalist Organizations: New, New York CNN, Professional, Billionaire, University of Colorado Denver, Sofi, Getty, Washington Wizards, Capitals, Sweet, Smith College, Riverfront, Busch, Baltimore Orioles, Camden, Barclays Center, Nets, Los Angeles Rams, “ Battery, Atlanta Braves, Golden State Warriors ’ Chase Center, Texas Rangers, Globe, Arlington, New York Mets, Hard, Citi Field . Dallas Mavericks, Vegas Sands Corp, Management Locations: New York, North America, Inglewood , California, AFP, Washington, Alexandria , Virginia, Cincinnati, St, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, New Jersey, ”, “ Battery Atlanta ”, Truist, Atlanta, San Francisco, “, City, Arlington , Texas, ” Cuban

☆ Rising crime risks turning Oakland into a ‘ghost town.’ Newsom is sending in reinforcements
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The aim: to crack down on crime, including vehicle theft, retail theft and violent crime. The Oakland NAACP branch demanded elected leaders take action to ensure public safety, especially in predominately Black neighborhoods. Denny’s is shuttering its only location in Oakland after more than 54 years, citing public safety concerns. Motor vehicle theft increased by 29% and, since 2019, motor vehicle theft has shot upward by 105%, the study found. This variation “suggests local factors are becoming more significant.”There’s no easy answer to explaining why crime has increased in Oakland.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Nigel Jones isn’t, Jones, restauranter, there’s, ”, Shari Godinez, it’ll, ” It’s, Justin Sullivan, Kaiser Permenente, Kaiser, Clorox, Adam Gelb, Cindy Varela, “, she’s, Sheng Thao, Nigel Jones, “ I’m, Veronica Miracle, Jack Hannah, Kevin Flower, Jeffrey Kopp, Elizabeth Joseph Organizations: New, New York CNN, Oakland, San, Patrol, Kingston, Oakland NAACP, CNN, Criminal, Police, Zona Latina, . Solutions Police, Business Locations: New York, America’s, Oakland, San Francisco Chronicle, California, United States, Jamaica, Calabash, ”, Black, downtowns, Koreatown Northgate, American, “

☆ How the 1970s oil crisis created the right turn on red
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —In America, traveling through red lights on right turns has become a rule of the road. States introduced it as a gas-savings measure: The theory was that it would reduce idling at red lights. Right-on-red was a gas-savings tool during the 1970s oil crisis. There has been little national research in recent years on the effect of right-on-red turns on pedestrian safety. Banning right on red is not a “panacea for pedestrian safety problems,” Dumbaugh said, but could help prevent pedestrian and car accidents in busy intersections.

Persons: Woody Allen, Hall ”, he’d, Marty Lederhandler, Hyoung Chang, ”, Eric Dumbaugh, Jason Dozier, Bill Clark, RTOR, Banning, ” Dumbaugh, that’s, don’t Organizations: New, New York CNN —, AP, New York City —, Washington D.C, MediaNews, Denver Post, Florida Atlantic University, Atlanta City, Nationwide, Governors Highway Safety Association, Getty, Research, Atlanta, Republican, ” Locations: New York, America, California, Los Angeles, United States, New York City, Connecticut, Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, Raleigh, Washington, San Francisco, Indiana

☆ Can we turn all those empty office buildings into housing?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Experts in housing, building, and urban planning say it may be difficult to convert office space to livable, likeable residential housing, but there’s an urgent reason they’re trying. More office space is sitting empty in the United States than at any point since 1979, Moody’s Analytics reported earlier this week. By some estimates, only 3% of New York City office buildings and 2% in downtown Denver are suited for residential conversions. Office space and homes are two fundamentally different types of buildings, according to builders and architects. Do you have another building where you can move them?”As result, according to Theodos, office conversions are not a solution to either the empty office glut or the housing supply shortage.

Persons: Biden, ”, Harold Bordwin, Keen, Brett Theodos, ” Bordwin, “, ” Maren Reepmeyer, ” Theodos, –, Nathaniel Meyersohn, Donald Judd Organizations: DC CNN, Moody’s, National Association of Realtors, Summit Capital Partners, Metropolitan Housing, Policy Center, Urban Institute, “, CBRE, Wacker, Chicago Business Locations: Washington, New York, Boston, Cleveland, United States, Manhattan, “, New York City, Denver, Chicago, Theodos

☆ These 8 affordable US cities have the most home-price appreciation potential in the years ahead, according to a broker at Sotheby's International Realty
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Remote workers may also seek out cities with cultures they enjoy more, those that are walkable, and those that are well-connected via a major airport, she said. All of them have median home prices relatively close to, or below, the national median of $408,573, according to Redfin data. And they are all significantly less expensive than median prices in New York or Boston, which hover near $800,000, or San Francisco and Los Angeles, which both have median prices over $1 million. The eight cities also have below-average costs of living, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index. We've listed the eight cities below, their median home prices, populations, cost of living index scores, and major airports.

Persons: Nicole Beauchamp, we've, Beauchamp Organizations: Sotheby's, Business, Council for Community Locations: New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles

☆ The key to solving loneliness and pollution might be giving up cars and hanging out in the street. It's working in Barcelona.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Barcelona is a decade into transforming many of its streets into green, car-light public spaces. Earlier this year, the city announced yet another major expansion of the project, with a goal of making a third of city streets green by 2030. And as Americans experience an epidemic of loneliness, a built environment that fosters social connection might be crucial for public health. Making a neighborhood more attractive with more walkable, green streets could mean triggering or speeding up gentrification. More walkable communities with high-quality public spaces are much more expensive to live in, indicating high demand.

Persons: —, Sven Eggimann, Tayana Panova, Jonathan Cohn, who's, Eggimann, pyi2lKhNzc, Billy Fields Organizations: Service, ZHAW School of Architecture, Residents, Urban, Smart Growth Locations: Barcelona, Spanish, Switzerland, New York City, Barcelona's, Vitoria, Europe, Valencia, Manhattan, Francisco, Superblocks

☆ The looming office space real estate shortage. Yes, shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

You read that right: amid a commercial real estate market across U.S. downtowns being described in apocalyptic terms, CoStar sees a shortage on the horizon, with one key caveat for top companies to bear in mind. CoStar's call of an upcoming office space shortage is predicated on a look at the current data on leasing and construction activity compared to recent market history. They have attracted over 175 million square feet of net new occupancy since the beginning of 2020, an average of 12.7 million square feet per quarter. "Modern, premium office space remains in demand, just as it has historically, even during difficult economic times," said Phil Mobley, national director of office analytics at CoStar Group. Less than 30 million square feet has broken ground in 2023, making this year the lowest for construction starts since 2011.

Persons: Visoot, downtowns, Phil Mobley, Google's, Mobley, Jeff Greene Organizations: CNBC, Google, City, Gas Co, Billionaire Locations: U.S, New, Los Angeles, West Palm Beach

☆ The key to fighting the urban doom loop might be a downtown beach
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Urban rivers, lakes, and parks can also be the key to making cities more resilient to climate change. The 1,200 tons of sand near Greenwich Village along the Hudson river would have to do. But there's no public pool nearby, and no sanctioned river swim spots in the city. The sandy bluff on Gansevoort peninsula is part of the much larger Hudson River park and looks out over Little Island, a whimsical, highly instagrammable transformation of Pier 55. Seattle has torn down an elevated freeway downtown to make way for a waterfront park.

Persons: Mia Olis, Olis, they'll, Amanda Weinstein, Hudson, Karin Balow, Eliza Relman, Bill O'Leary, Trey Sherard, It's, vVJ9elwcss, Sherard, Charles, satchel, Paris, Anne Hidalgo, he's Organizations: Service, University of Akron, Hudson, Inwood, New, Battery, Park, DC, Navy, Nationals, Anacostia, Prince, AFP, Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Yacht Locations: Chelsea, Hawaii, Greenwich Village, Harlem, New York, Rivers, Upper Manhattan, Manhattan, Jersey City, New York City, Hudson, Little, Manhattan's, Brooklyn, Domino, Queens, Governor's, . Cleveland , Ohio, Lake Erie, Cuyahoga, . Seattle, Potomac, Anacostia, Washington , DC, Prince George's County , Maryland, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Iraja, Black, Boston, Switzerland's, Zurich, Lake Zurich, Bern, who's, American

☆ Downtowns Are Full of Empty Buildings. Universities Are Moving In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | More About Michael Kimmelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I’ll say straight off: It’s not architecture for the ages, but it’s an interesting, high-end model of an urban quad and a good example of how struggling downtowns are finding a glimmer of hope as satellite campuses. In design jargon, the term is “adaptive reuse,” which is the same story as turning empty office towers into apartment buildings. Universities like Hopkins are not the ultimate cure-all for what now ails downtowns across America, though, especially since they don’t pay property taxes like for-profit companies. Downtowns are still struggling. WeWork, which presently rents more office space than any other company in the United States, filed for bankruptcy this month.

Persons: David Rockwell, Hopkins, Paul Levy Organizations: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, Rockwell Group, Philadelphia’s Center City District Locations: Pennsylvania, Washington, Texas, New York, America, United States, downtowns

☆ A boomer moved from Silicon Valley to a small city in Texas' Hill Country. He said the people are friendlier and his community is much more peaceful.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bill Ross moved from the mountains of Silicon Valley to a city half an hour north of San Antonio. Leaving Silicon Valley behindRoss was born in Philadelphia and was raised in northern New Jersey. He worked at large companies and startups in Silicon Valley, and he tried starting his own company. He got married, had kids, and raised them in a home 20 minutes from the heart of Silicon Valley in the Santa Clara Mountains. By comparison, a study by Joint Venture Silicon Valley released in October found Silicon Valley's median home price was $1.53 million in 2022.

Persons: Bill Ross, —, Ross, Boerne, — Ross, he's, couldn't, didn't, Dallas, Austin, Realtor.com Organizations: Service, Oaks, Boerne Independent, . Census, Texans, Northeastern University, Texas Hill Country, Joint Venture Locations: Silicon, San Antonio, Texas, Silicon Valley, California, Boerne , Texas, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Boston, Santa Clara, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Galveston, Texas Hill, Boerne, San Francisco, Bay, Antonio

☆ Developers who want to build apartments near public transit stations are in luck as the Biden administration opens up billions in new loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Construction of new apartment buildings is slowing as interest rates stay high. The Department of Transportation is opening up billions in loans for construction near mass transit. AdvertisementMultifamily housing construction boomed over the last couple years, and more apartments are coming on the market than at any time since the 1980s. But as interest rates have shot up, apartment construction is sharply slowing across the country. In fact, in order to qualify for the loans, developers need to show that their projects would boost ridership.

Persons: Biden, —, Dan Schned, TOD, Schned, Brian Deese Organizations: Department of Transportation, Service, of Transportation, Transportation Infrastructure Finance, Innovation, Railroad Rehabilitation, Improvement, DOT's Build America Bureau Locations: downtowns

☆ Before World Leaders Arrive, San Francisco Races to Clean Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Heather Knight | More About Heather Knight | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The conference comes at a pivotal moment for San Francisco, which has struggled to rebound from the pandemic closures that scrambled downtowns across the country. Local leaders hope the APEC conference will be just the catalyst that San Francisco needs to shake off its pandemic doldrums. At the very least, the past few weeks have shown that the city can clean up well. “This is a huge opportunity, and we’ve been planning this down to the gnat’s eyebrow,” said Aaron Peskin, the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Mr. Peskin turned to history for hope that the APEC conference could reverse the city’s beleaguered image, one that many residents say has been unfairly overblown.

Persons: San, we’ve, ”, Aaron Peskin, Peskin Organizations: APEC, San Francisco, of Supervisors, Pacific Locations: San Francisco, Francisco, Panama, New York

☆ There's an easy way cities can lure in more holiday shoppers: Get rid of street parking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some shop owners fear that reducing street parking will hurt their sales. But there's mounting evidence that street parking isn't necessarily good for business. The study notes that shop owners often oppose removing street parking around them because they're "afraid of deteriorated accessibility, declining pedestrian frequencies, and lower revenue." Previous studies have shown that bike lanes and more pedestrian-friendly, walkable, and car-light areas are better for business. Shopping districts are much like outdoor malls, which are most convenient and popular when they have both adequate garage parking and are accessible by mass transit.

Persons: —, Tom Harris Organizations: Service, Protesters, RWTH Aachen University, New York City Department of Transportation, New, Times, Times Square Alliance Locations: America, —, Connecticut, Germany, Aachen, New York City, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, downtowns

☆ The death of downtowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But the number of empty storefronts overwhelming downtowns isn't just a product of the post-pandemic world. When it comes to local downtowns, not all small businesses are created equally. A homebuilder executive breaks down the do's and don'ts that've helped her clients lower rates from 8% to 4.875%.

Persons: —, that's, Tyler, Insider's Adam Rogers, it's, Adam, Justin Sullivan, It's, Lucas Jackson, Elon Musk, Joel Saget, Sheldon Cooper, Getty Images Elon, X, Daniel Rizea, Haley Rosen, Marie Donoghue, Rosalyn Durant, don'ts that've, Heidi Klum's, Jayne Withers, Zers, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, New York Stock Exchange, Getty, Getty Images, Apple, Google, ESPN, NFL, NBA, Walmart, Workers, Fed, Pfizer, Samsung Locations: National, New York, AFP, New York City, San Diego, London

☆ Cities try to take back curbs from cars and delivery trucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

There are a slew of users and uses that compete for curb space. The solution, some advocates say, is removing free parking and charging for spots based on demand. Free parkingThe root of the chaos at the curb stems from free on-street parking, critics say. Cities “squander curbs for free parking for cars because drivers are the people who show up at public meetings,” Shoup said. Smart loading zonesEven if cities managed their on-street parking problems for private vehicles more effectively, bikers, delivery workers, outdoor dining and other uses would still crowd the curb.

Persons: ”, Chrissy Mancini Nichols, ” Nichols, Yorkers, Donald Shoup, ” Shoup, Mike Estey, ” Estey, Michelle Wu Organizations: New, New York CNN, Workers, Walker Consultants, city’s Department of Transportation, University of California, Drivers, New York City’s Department of Transportation, Seattle Department of Transportation, Boston Locations: New York, “, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, America, San Francisco, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles , Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Washington, New, Omaha , Nebraska, Minneapolis, Philadelphia

☆ The Midwest is getting left behind as the rest of America sees big raises
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Median wage growth for the Midwest was just 0.4% from 2019 to 2022, compared to 5.7% in the Northeast. Declines in unionization and a lack of minimum wage raises have kept wage growth low. This is in contrast to the nation's 3.1% median wage growth during the same period. Workers in the Northeast saw a median wage growth increase of 5.7% during the three-year period, while the West rose 4.7%. Only half of Midwestern states experienced median wage growth since 2019, EPI found.

Persons: —, EPI, Nina Mast, Mast Organizations: Service, Economic, Institute, Workers, American, Union, Midwest, Pacific Locations: Midwest, Northeast, Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota , Missouri , Ohio, Iowa, , Kansas, Nebraska, Black, American

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