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2.0 2.1. 2.2 2.3 3 ¿//I-t:k The Three Biggest Contn'buting Factors to Success in Downtown Revitalization Concentration, density and mix - people of all ages, variety of uses, in a compact cluster of buildings, uses and activities, is the essence of downtown. The synergy of the núx is what distinguishes a downtown from all other city districts, and it creates a setting for unique types of businesses and activities that will thrive nowhere else. Downtown Redwood City has a ways to go on this one, but recent strides have been made in the right direction on this count. Anchors. Having noted the pitfalls of "The Big Fix" perspective, it also is important to note that anchorless retail centers do not do well. A downtown today, on one level, is a retail/restaurant/entertainment center. Very-well-documented research and experimentation in the retail/restaurant/entertainment center - a.k.a. lifestyle center - industry shows that anchors are essential to success. A Downtown without anchors remains vulnerable to a competing nearby center with such anchors. Cities nmst pursue both nighttime anchors and daytime anchors, and nmst insure that they are properly located and designed in the Downtown Core. Redwood City's nighttime anchors will soon include the Fox Theater, and a major multiplex cinema. Daytime anchors will include Cost Plus and Pier One Imports. WE think these are just about perfectly located and designed In addition to these, downtown is blessed with Safeway and Whole Foods, both very powerful and important daytime and evening anchors - but imperfect in that the Safeway currently turns its back to the Downtown Core and in that Whole Foods would be better positioned a bit closer to the center. But both remain very valuable downtown assets and will assist in attracting housing investment and in keeping residents in the district for most of their daily needs. Building the Downtown of the Twenty-first Century, rather than trying to nostalgically recreate the Downtown of the early Twentieth Century. A number of essential opportunities for downtowns have come about as a result of significant changes to the structure of society and suburban cities. Our observations to date: a. Household demographics have changed dramatically: households are now smaller, more diverse, and there are more without children. They are, on average, older and seniors often don't want to drive. These societal changes have manifested a completely underserved market for a variety of housing types, and housing placed in proximity to shopping, entertainment, eating, public spaces, community services, and employment. b. The congestion of the suburbs: until relatively recent times, subwban cities were places that people went to escape the congestion ofthe big urban centers. In the last twenty years, with the shift in office development to the suburbs (along with retail, services, cultural amenities, etc.), suburban cities in major metropolitan regions have become intensely congested Recent data (and common sense) suggests that this is resulting in major shifts in behavior and real estate values in the direction of a growing preference to limit driving distances and the necessary number of trips. The sharp increases in gasoline prices will exacerbate this. Downtown (done properly) offers the alternative of living within walking distance of most if not all of the things that we need on a daily basis. Furthermore, downtown offers a choice that is becoming increasingly attractive to a growing segment of society: the choice to have a high quality home in a high quality neighborhood that saves substantial sums of money and! or precious hours of F'('I'dlllall Tllllg Bollolllle,\ URBAN DESIGN 74 New Montgomery Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, California 94105 Tel: 415.291.9455 Fax: 415.291.9633 Email: info@ftburbandesign.com