Sponsored by AECOM

Welcome: Christopher Coes, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, USDOT, Washington, DC

Researchers typically measure downtown vitality via three key indicators: office vacancy rates, public transit ridership and retail spending. But the underlying assumptions behind those data points – that people work downtown, transit is designed to take them there and downtown workers drive retail – are up for grabs. After the pandemic lockdowns of March 2020, certain workers discovered they could take their jobs to cheaper places to live or just save the time and money of a commute. And those that can still are, upending the downtown equation, perhaps especially in places with high housing costs. More than six months after US and global agencies announced the end of the pandemic, why are some downtowns bouncing back more than others? What neighborhoods, downtown or not, are thriving – and why? Let’s look at what new data points and models can show us, with top experts and practitioners involved in downtown and non-downtown centers. What have we learned from the systemic shock of the past three years? What are we learning today from the disruptions caused by extreme weather events around the country and globe? How can decision-makers use these lessons to foster more resilient, transit-oriented downtowns and neighborhoods ready to weather the next (literal or figurative) storm?