"Reimagining NYC’s Retail Corridors in an Age of Hybrid Work & E-Commerce"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. 
@ The Greene Space 
44 Charlton Street

To attend in-person, RSVP via this link.
To watch the livestream, RSVP via this link. 

The storefront vacancies that were so common across New York City in 2020 and 2021 have diminished greatly over the past year. But even as a wave of new stores has breathed life into commercial corridors around the city, New York’s retail sector faces significant challenges. Several neighborhoods today struggle with an unhealthy number of empty storefronts, and the retail sector still has 47,000 fewer jobs than before the pandemic. Hybrid work is hampering sales for many retailers in office districts from Midtown to Downtown Brooklyn. E-commerce is continuing to wreak havoc on retailers selling clothing, accessories, and other merchandise, even as it leads to new jobs elsewhere in the city. And a range of other issues, from theft to an oversaturation of weed stores, has created new challenges for many retail districts.

This policy forum will discuss what New York can do to strengthen New York’s retail corridors at a time when hybrid work, e-commerce, and other challenges are creating new uncertainties. A forward-looking conversation, it will focus on generating creative ideas and solutions for reimagining storefront retail and rethinking what’s critical to creating thriving commercial districts. 

Confirmed speakers include:

• ​Barbara Askins, President & CEO, 125th Street Business Improvement District
• Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
• Larisa Ortiz, Managing Director, Public Nonprofit Solutions, Streetsense
• Andrew Rigie, Executive Director, NYC Hospitality Alliance
• Steven Soutendijk, Executive Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield
• Alberto Valentin, Executive Director, Graham Avenue BID

Details
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (doors open at 8; program begins at 8:45)
@ The Greene Space 
44 Charlton Street (between 6th Avenue and Varick Street)

To attend in-person, please RSVP via this link.

To watch the livestream, please RSVP via this link. 

We are committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations in our programs. For questions or requests regarding access and accommodation, please contact Stephanie Arevalo at [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance of the program.

This symposium is made possible through generous support from Matt Fassler and Mandy Greenfield. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation, the Altman Foundation, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.