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cover of episode With So Much Vacant Ground Floor Retail, Why Are We Still Building More?

With So Much Vacant Ground Floor Retail, Why Are We Still Building More?

2025/6/3
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People
A
Alex Sagues
B
Brian
Python 开发者和播客主持人，专注于测试和软件开发教育。
C
Carlos
D
Daniel G. Chatman
R
Ray
S
Sujata Srivastava
Topics
Sujata Srivastava: 我认为城市中心地面零售空间空置问题源于消费方式改变、零售业变化、疫情导致客流量下降等因素。我们需要更开放地考虑艺术、文化等非传统商业模式来激活城市。 Alex Sagues: 我观察到每个子市场都存在空置现象，包括Walnut Creek。建筑成本上升、利率提高和保险费用增加都对开发项目产生影响。灵活的政策和减少限制将有助于社区的成功。 Daniel G. Chatman: 我觉得零售是城市发展不可或缺的一部分，混合用途开发是城市发展的理想模式，但这种观念在一定程度上排斥了其他出行和时间利用方式，过度强调了零售的重要性。规划者通常会强制要求某些事物，而不是仅仅允许它们存在，这种普遍性的强制要求往往会导致灾难性的后果。我们存在住房供应不足的问题，而不是零售供应不足。 Brian: 我建议强制开发商承担零售业的成本，通过降低租金甚至降至零的方式，作为批准项目的条件，以支持独立书店和本地零售等用途。 Ray: 我认为我们不应该过多地谈论零售，而应该关注行人流量的产生。牙科诊所、医生诊所和健身房等用途也能产生行人流量，使商业街更加充满活力。 Carlos: 我发现房东似乎并不真正希望这些企业做得好，他们只是想获得一份非常好的合同。他们更倾向于短期高租金，而不是长期稳定发展。

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Chapters
The podcast discusses the widespread vacancy of ground floor retail spaces in Bay Area cities despite the intention to create vibrant neighborhoods. Experts weigh in on the contributing factors, including changes in consumer spending and the impact of the pandemic.
  • Widespread vacancy of ground floor retail spaces in Bay Area cities.
  • Mixed-use development intended to add vibrancy to city life.
  • Significant decline in foot traffic due to pandemic, hybrid work, and decreased tourism.

Shownotes Transcript

When new apartment and office buildings are built, Bay Area cities often require developers to include retail space on the ground floor. The goal s to create vibrant neighborhoods by encouraging foot traffic and what urban planners call street “activation.” And yet, many of these spaces are vacant all over the region from downtown San Francisco to Concord. We’ll talk about the challenges of filling up ground-floor retail, and if we should be changing the way we design buildings and neighborhoods.

Guests:

Sujata Srivastava, chief policy officer, SPUR - a nonprofit public policy organization in the San Francisco Bay Area

Alex Sagues, commercial real estate broker specializing in retail; senior vice president, CRBE

Dr. Daniel G. Chatman, professor and chair of the department of city and regional planning in the college of environmental design, UC Berkeley

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