[wburg]

The idea of a downtown mall is still based on the essentially flawed idea that people who live in the suburbs have an inherent need to come downtown to shop or watch movies. This has been the standard line of thinking since the 1930s and it still doesn't make much sense. If people in the suburbs have the same options that are more convenient (like suburban malls and suburban movie theaters) they will always go there instead. That isn't good or bad, it's just a reality of the market.

This "live in the suburbs, work and play downtown" idea is pretty old--it actually goes back about a century and a half. Before autos and freeways, streetcars and interurbans provided a way for middle-class folks to live remotely from work, and before that steam railroads and steamboats provided commuter service. A lot of folks assumed it was a natural progression, and that at some future point, nobody would live downtown, but everyone would work and shop there.

This line of thought was why a lot of central city housing was destroyed, all around the country, to make way for expanded office and shopping amenities. As shopping and employment options started to appear in the suburbs, however, many people stopped coming downtown altogether. Stripped of their own populations, and less often a destination for the suburban dweller, downtowns began to wane.

In my mind, Philip is correct: shopping amenities downtown are primarily a way to serve the people who live in the central city, and an increase in downtown housing will mean an increased market that prefers to shop at things close by.

As far as attracting people from the suburbs goes, that requires some different approaches. In my opinion, people come to cities to see and do things they can't see and do in the suburbs. Culturally, this means things like live music, dancing, dining, plays, and art--definitely places where we need some boosting, although we have no lack of talent. Sacramento has a serious, serious need for more all-ages live music venues, as well as mid-sized venues (which is why a lot of touring acts play at the Boardwalk in Orangevale, not in downtown Sacramento.) Architecturally, this means two things: OLD BUILDINGS and TALL BUILDINGS. K Street (bringing it back to the thread's topic) has room for all of the above.