The City of Toronto’s name for a needed subway extension framed yesterday’s problems for many cities. It was called the downtown relief line. Relief from congested commuting to a crowded city centre with: not enough office space, not enough affordable housing, and not enough commuting access from more affordable locales for its many thousands of nine-to-five downtown big city employees.
That was yesterday. Then came the COVID pandemic. A hammer blow shattered at least temporarily the very nature of a downtown central business district. Health concerns about hundreds and thousands crowding into buildings to share the same tainted, perhaps deadly, air forced many companies to carry on business with employees working from home. Practical problems were overcome by the expanding reach and sophistication of the internet.
Time has passed, even if as the COVID pandemic lingers. In many American cities, even after the COVID threat no longer demands drastic action, workers have not returned to downtown business centres. In some cities, office building occupancy averages 50%. Commercial landlords are suffering badly.
But is there a light at the end of this tunnel for city downtowns, and for the investors who own and rent out their awe-inspiring superstructure?
What an unexpected vision for housing activists! Turning distressed business highrise towers into affordable housing! With investors in commercial housing facing dramatically diminished returns and eager to recoup some of their lost revenue, it was only inevitable that conversion of business district office space would be a brave new future for city downtowns.
Inevitable, maybe. But happening? Not so much. For activists who have been hoping for a potential source of desperately needed affordable housing in towns and cities across America, here’s some cold water thrown upon their dreams. Read more at SLATE: Why the Dream of Turning Empty Offices Into Housing Is a Bust
The article above is an easy read, but part of its explanation involves ‘floor plates.’ It may help to have an explanation, available from a simple visual here
