Noah Stern

Rethinking and Repurposing Our Commercial Areas

With the proliferation of online shopping, food delivery services, rideshare, and the ongoing climate crisis, retail destinations are at a critical point. To address shifting conditions and public habits, these spaces must move into the 21st century economy, embracing a mixture of uses and thinking beyond traditional ideas of shopping. By rethinking our region’s major commercial areas, we can create multi-purpose spaces that not only offer retail and third places, but also provide new housing, promote alternative transport modes, and produce clean energy.