Downtown Revitalization
Texas has experienced a prolonged economic boom, bringing with it a significant explosion in population. From 2000 to 2023, the state’s population grew by a remarkable 46.3 percent. This level of growth inevitably places pressure on cities, whether to update infrastructure, revise planning regulations, or address other critical urban challenges.
Currently, vacancy rates in the Washington, D.C. area are around 20 percent, in line with the national average. The nationwide housing shortage, meanwhile, has hit a record high of 4.7 million homes, despite a five-year uptrend in new construction. The deficit is particularly pronounced in highly desirable urban and inner-suburban locations such as Alexandria, Virginia.
“It really is about addressing community through the equity and justice lens, and the inclusion lens, to positively impact communities that have been historically disinvested in and undervalued,” said Gabrielle Bullock, principal and chief diversity officer at Perkins&Will L.A. Studio. She made the remarks at the ULI Spring Meeting in Denver during the panel, “Transformative Urban Corridors: Equitable Revitalization of Communities in Three Cities.”
In a landmark moment for California housing policy, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two transformative bills into law in June 2025—AB 130 and SB 131. They fundamentally reshape how the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to infill housing. Enacted as part of the state’s broader budget package, these reforms remove major procedural barriers for urban multifamily projects and signal a new direction in the state’s effort to address housing affordability through increased supply.
ULI San Francisco and the Civic Joy Fund have announced the winners of the Market Street Reimagined competition. This international competition of ideas, which attracted 173 submissions from nine countries, challenged entrants to create a new vision for the city’s main thoroughfare that would draw more visitors and businesses to the area. A distinguished jury, hosted by San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie, divided the $100,000 prize among the winning teams and designated eight additional entries as honorable mentions.
In Midtown Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology Foundation is turning the 100-year-old former Biltmore hotel into a mecca for incubating technology startup ventures.
Local governments are rolling out new and updated programs—including tax incentives and zoning amendments—to encourage developers to convert vacant office buildings to some other use.
Located on the site of the former Ritz Theater, the South Grand Community Improvement District in St. Louis spearheaded the transformation of Ritz Park in 2014 from vacant lot to popular gathering spot for movies, concerts, plays, markets, and festivals. Unfortunately, the new space was devoid of shade, making it too uncomfortable for daytime use during the summer.
More than a century ago, the Baltimore waterfront was a working harbor. After a massive 1970s redevelopment that turned the area into the centerpiece of Baltimore’s tourism industry, the American Institute of Architects called it “one of the supreme achievements of large-scale urban design and development in U.S. history.” Yet it became insolvent in 2019. Key lessons learned here can prevent this cycle from repeating as we envision what the next 100 years might hold for the center of Charm City.
A major investment in the long-term future of professional soccer is set to dramatically transform the last major land parcel in downtown Oklahoma City. Thanks to a successful public/private partnership, America’s 20th-largest city is seeing a continued resurgence in its downtown.
