Reimagining Cities-Disrupting the Urban Doom Loop

Our analysis in Reimagining Cities focuses exclusively on WalkUPs in the 15 sample cities. This approach allows us to concentrate our research on the wealth-creating, export/base jobs and businesses within these WalkUPs. WalkUPs are further divided into four subtypes, each with distinct histories, target markets, real estate product types and future growth potential. 20 The four subtypes include:

Downtown Of the 15 cities, 14 have only one downtown, while New York City (Manhattan) has two: the Financial District and Midtown. Downtowns tend to be the densest WalkUPs in a city and in their metropolitan areas. 21 Downtown Adjacent These are WalkUPs that surround and geographically touch the Downtown WalkUP. If the geography allows, Downtown Adjacent WalkUPs can surround the Downtown in a 360° manner. Much of the Walkable Urban development in the early 21st century has been in Downtown Adjacent places; many did not exist in 1999. Downtown Adjacent WalkUPs tend to be somewhat less dense than the Downtown and usually have a unique character due to different product program mix, history, and their appeal to different market segments. Urban Commercial These WalkUPs are not connected to the Downtown but may be connected to a Downtown Adjacent WalkUP and they tend to be focused on urban entertainment, high end retail or an arts district. Urban University These WalkUPs are anchored by one or more universities, resulting in nearby student neighborhoods, urban entertainment districts, and potentially Innovation Districts that benefit from university research spin-offs.

WalkUPs

20 For a suburban comparison, there are three WalkUP subtypes in the suburbs. These three types include Suburban Town Centers, Redevelopment of Edge Cities and Green/Brownfield Development. This analysis does not focus on these subtypes. Collectively they are referred to as the urbanizing suburbs. 21 The Reimagining of the City research determined that Manhattan Borough is the “center city” of metropolitan New York. The merger of the five Boroughs in 1898 brought much of the then suburbs of Manhattan into the city. The comparable situation would be if Boston annexed Cambridge or Washington, DC kept Arlington and Alexandria, rather than de-annexing 36% of the original District of Columbia in 1847.

14 Cushman & Wakefield