The future of Texas downtowns stands at a crossroads, shaped by the pandemic and the rise of remote work. Major Texas cities — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston — have led the return to office spaces and experienced an influx of visitors. But they are also grappling with some of the country’s highest commercial real estate vacancy rates. Many believe that converting unused commercial space into housing could solve the vacancy issues and address the problems of high rent. Others argue that unused buildings should be redeveloped and enhanced into destination commercial areas. However, both transformative ideas face financial, developmental and policy challenges.
Nevertheless, the current challenge has sparked a need for reimagining the future of our downtowns.