In a recent address to the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Richard Florida laid out his vision for how central business districts can bounce back from economic setbacks caused by the pandemic and efforts to control it through lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings.
Despite what the naysayers warn about an urban exodus, “this is not the end of cities,” Florida said in a virtual talk to business and civic leaders. “I have no doubt that our cities and our downtowns will come back.”
But because of the health crisis and other forces, including the Black Lives Matter movement, it won’t be enough for cities simply to return to the way things used to be, he added.