While research shows that these situations are being experienced in most major U.S. urban cities—not just in San Francisco—we still have to deal with what is happening here. We must figure out how to persuade more people to visit, work and live in our urban core. We must create a reason to come downtown.
Simply put, we must adapt. And there has to be a robust plan to help that happen. In many cases newly vacant downtown buildings, especially around Union Square, may be converted to housing. However, it is clearly understood that the conversion of commercial offices or large retail space to housing cannot singularly resolve downtown’s problem. It will take a mosaic of solutions to do that.
Another possibility is the growth of unique and more personally scaled boutique shopping experiences. People are attracted to opportunities that they can’t find anywhere else. Retailers have to create excitement—a buzz. That is well known. Coal Drops Yard in London, for example, offers open-air movies, cafes and bespoke shopping. It is a sensory experience for shoppers. Closer to home, we can look to Marin Country Mart, with its broad array of local eateries and independent shops.
One crucial solution is the abundance of entertainment, eating and cultural activities that can only be found in major urban cities. If we are to stay competitive, we need to better utilize the city’s streets to create joyous gatherings as a part of the culture of consumption—experiences like the recent Chinatown Night Market and the upcoming Downtown First Thursdays, which my wife, Randi, and I are helping to fund.
We know that internet shopping is not going away nor is the work-from-home model. To attract more people to the city in the new world we’re facing, we must support the development of options that address people’s new expectations and interests. The sooner we get behind the need for change and come to an agreement on what that may mean and look like, the better off we will be.
Our city’s unique history, geography, neighborhoods and innovation-based economy are strong foundations for building such a bright future. But we must do the work to achieve it.
Bob Fisher is the former chair of Gap Inc. and a lifelong resident of San Francisco.
