The death (and rebirth) of Downtown with Shola Olatoye of the SF Downtown Development Corporation

Downtowns don’t just “die.” They unravel.Office workers disappear. Foot traffic drops. Small businesses close. And suddenly, the economic engine of a city stalls.So what does it actually take to bring it back?In this episode of City People, we sit down with Shola Olatoye, CEO of the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, to unpack what it means to rebuild a city in real-time.From post-pandemic collapse to cautious comeback, this is a conversation about how cities function as ecosystems and what happens when the system breaks.We get into: Why downtowns are uniquely fragile (and uniquely important)  The real reason cities struggle to “fix” themselves  How public-private partnerships are quietly shaping the future of cities  Why clean streets, bookstores, and public space matter   And what it actually takes to design a city people want to return to This isn’t just about San Francisco. It’s about every city asking the same question right now: What comes next?Because the future of cities won’t just happen; it has to be built back intentionally.🎧 Listen if you care about: urban planning, economic development, housing, public-private partnerships, downtown recovery, and the future of citiesIf you enjoyed this episode, rate and review the show. It helps more people find us.  Watch full vids of our episodes (more fun!) on youtube.