Podcast Summary
St. Louis' Downtown Office District in a 'Doom Loop': An empty office district in St. Louis serves as a cautionary tale of self-reinforcing cycles that can leave cities with significant vacancies and economic challenges.
St. Louis, Missouri, is currently experiencing a "doom loop" in its downtown office district. This self-reinforcing cycle, where businesses close and people stop going to the office, has left a 15-block span of the city's core empty and desolate. With many other cities also facing similar challenges, St. Louis serves as a cautionary tale of what could happen if efforts to reverse this trend are unsuccessful. The void in the city's office district is striking, with giant, empty office buildings and boarded-up storefronts, despite the city's otherwise pleasant and vibrant atmosphere. The ripple effects of this cycle are significant, and it's a concerning trend for cities beyond New York, Dallas, and Chicago.
Downtown Saint Louis struggles with empty buildings and outdated urban planning: Outdated urban planning and businesses leaving for rival districts have left downtown Saint Louis with vacant buildings and a lack of amenities, contributing to its decline.
The empty and neglected downtown area of Saint Louis is facing significant challenges due to businesses leaving for rival districts like Clayton, which offers newer buildings, safety, and proximity to suburban white-collar workers' homes. The issue is compounded by outdated urban planning that prioritizes office districts with big towers, parking garages, and little else, while people now prefer vibrant areas where they can live, work, and access amenities like bars, restaurants, theaters, and sports venues within walking or biking distance. The closure of iconic buildings like the Railway Exchange, which was once the heart of Saint Louis' business district, accelerated this trend and left vacant buildings that have been sitting idle for years, contributing to the overall gloom and desolation of the downtown area.
Closure of large commercial buildings impacts local businesses: The closure of large commercial buildings can lead to a domino effect, causing nearby businesses to close and leaving a void in the community, creating a more depressing and unsafe environment.
The closure of large commercial buildings in urban areas can have a ripple effect on the surrounding community. The Railway Exchange Building in Saint Louis, which was once a hub for thousands of employees and visitors, closed and left nearby businesses without customers, leading to their closure as well. This domino effect continued with the vacancy of the AT&T building, and even extended to smaller businesses like a Panera Bread. The abandonment of these buildings not only leaves a void for the businesses around them, but also creates a more depressing and unsafe environment for the neighborhood. The vacancy of the two largest office buildings in Saint Louis, both within a few blocks of each other, has been a significant issue for the city for many years.
Struggling Downtown Saint Louis Faces Challenges Amid Pandemic: City officials and business leaders work to revitalize downtown Saint Louis, but the pandemic's impact on remote work and foot traffic makes it difficult to fill large empty buildings like the AT&T tower.
Revitalizing a struggling downtown area like Saint Louis, which has already been losing businesses to suburbs and other cities, is a significant challenge, especially during a pandemic. The AT&T tower, a massive empty skyscraper in Saint Louis, sold for a fraction of its value in 2006, highlighting the decline of the city's office district. The pandemic only worsened the situation by increasing remote work and decreasing foot traffic. City officials and business leaders are trying to reverse this trend by attracting more people to the streets through urban improvements. However, filling a large empty building like the AT&T tower is a complex issue due to the lack of residents and businesses in the area. The pandemic's impact on downtown Saint Louis has exacerbated this "doom loop," making it even more challenging to revitalize the area.
Revitalizing Saint Louis Downtown: Saint Louis is investing in infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, offering incentives for businesses, and exploring office-to-apartment conversions, but high costs and difficulty discourage investors. Successful examples of revitalization exist, but addressing the issue early is key.
Saint Louis is making efforts to revitalize its downtown area by investing in infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, offering incentives for businesses to move downtown, and exploring the conversion of office buildings into apartments. However, the challenge lies in the high cost and difficulty of converting office buildings into residential spaces due to their large floors and lack of windows, which discourages investors. Despite these challenges, there is hope for Saint Louis as there are successful examples of revitalization in other parts of downtown, such as the former industrial area where old factories have been converted into loft apartments and hotels have opened. The key to reversing the doom loop is to address the issue early on, before more buildings become empty and retail dies down, making it even harder to attract people and investors.
Revitalizing Declining Urban Areas Requires Significant Investment and Effort: Cities must invest and put in effort to revitalize declining urban areas, otherwise, the process becomes more resource-intensive and costly over time.
The presence of bars, restaurants, a brewery, and a soccer stadium in downtown St. Louis indicates that people still want to be in the area if it's vibrant. However, revitalizing former industrial areas in cities like Saint Louis, which have experienced population decline and office districts dominated by towers and parking garages, requires significant investment and effort. If cities had addressed these issues earlier, the process might have been easier. This situation serves as a warning for other cities facing similar challenges. The longer these areas remain in decline, the more resources and effort will be required to turn things around.
