Since the spread of work-from-home policies left office towers sitting vacant, US cities have been scrambling to rethink their downtowns. But this isn’t the first time cities have face such a dilemma, contributor Benjamin Schneider writes in his new book, The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City-Building Revolution:

[The] rise of remote work is only the latest in a long line of existential challenges that have faced America’s downtowns. In fact, today’s glut of office space is the result of past generations’ efforts to save downtown from another perceived crisis.

In an adapted excerpt from his book, Schneider traces the transformation of central business districts in US cities, beginning with the (literal) rise of skyscrapers in the 1900s. As these core neighborhoods went vertical, they also experienced dramatic street-level changes, with planners carving out space for civic centers and cultural districts — and displacing existing residents in the name of urban renewal. “Downtown is ever poised for its next chapter,” he writes. “This time around, cities have a chance to do it right.” Read the full excerpt today on CityLab: The Eternal Reinvention of the American Downtown

— Linda Poon

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