Mixed Use & Retail Centers

Revitalizing Stranded Assets to Build Vibrant Suburban Districts
BLOG

Revitalizing Stranded Assets to Build Vibrant Suburban Districts

With the recent population shift toward suburban areas, civic leaders and real estate developers have an opportunity to create synergistic...

5 Strategies for Converting Retail and Office Space into Ambulatory Surgery Centers
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5 Strategies for Converting Retail and Office Space into Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Leveraging spaces that historically have been retail or office provides an opportunity to expand services offered and reach where consumers are...

How Willis Tower’s Repositioning Is Unlocking New Value and Reenergizing Chicago
BLOG

How Willis Tower’s Repositioning Is Unlocking New Value and Reenergizing Chicago

Todd Heiser, co-managing director for Gensler Chicago, and Michael Townsend, Design Resilience leader for the firm’s Mixed Use & Retail Centers...

How an Iconic Houston Park Helped Spark the Development of Downtown
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How an Iconic Houston Park Helped Spark the Development of Downtown

The creation of parks and access to the outdoors has singlehandedly changed the way downtown Houston is accessed and utilized.

Mixed Use, Public Space, and the Future of Central Business Districts
BLOG

Mixed Use, Public Space, and the Future of Central Business Districts

In a one-year period between July 2020 and July 2021, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) population grew by nearly 100,000. With this influx of people to...

Designing an Innovation District for the City of Austin
BLOG

Designing an Innovation District for the City of Austin

Austin’s Innovation District brings together education, entertainment, leisure, and sports. This type of urban, mixed-use center brings in new...

Oakland’s Office Space Resurgence: Stitching the Old With the New for a Resilient Future
BLOG

Oakland’s Office Space Resurgence: Stitching the Old With the New for a Resilient Future

Oakland is continuing the transformation of its downtown urban core with a series of historic commercial building renovations that are driving a...

To Reinvigorate Downtown Cores, Developers Should Adopt a Mixed-Use Mindset
BLOG

To Reinvigorate Downtown Cores, Developers Should Adopt a Mixed-Use Mindset

To retain and attract post-pandemic tenants in urban cores, developers will need to adopt a mixed-use mindset, with a focus on the human experience...

What the Workplace Sector Can Learn From Retail’s 20+ Years of Designing Hybrid Experiences
BLOG

What the Workplace Sector Can Learn From Retail’s 20+ Years of Designing Hybrid Experiences

In an increasingly hybrid world, offices, retail stores, and other physical places need to bring people together and create community. Now, as the...

Modular by Design: The Promise of Prefab for Expressive Design
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Modular by Design: The Promise of Prefab for Expressive Design

Designers are pushing the perceived limitations of modular construction as a way to build efficiently and safely while preserving time, cost, and...

Adaptive Reuse Brings New Vibrancy to Silicon Valley’s State Street Market
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Adaptive Reuse Brings New Vibrancy to Silicon Valley’s State Street Market

Adaptive reuse was a critical sustainable design strategy in designing the new State Street Market in Los Altos, California, transforming a dormant...

Multiuse, Connected, and Resilient Buildings Will Win Tomorrow’s Tenants
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Multiuse, Connected, and Resilient Buildings Will Win Tomorrow’s Tenants

In this episode of the Gensler Design Exchange, design and development experts discuss how buildings can stand out and be more resilient in today’s...

Innovation Districts, Affinity Districts, and the City of the Future
BLOG

Innovation Districts, Affinity Districts, and the City of the Future

There is a spectrum of innovation happening within cities because of market changes, behaviors around COVID, and technological innovation. Here's a...

Design Forecast 2022: Mixed Use & Retail Centers
INSIGHT

Design Forecast 2022: Mixed Use & Retail Centers

Mixed-use developers have an increasingly keen understanding of how their developments contribute to and benefit the overall community. Explore...

A Resilient Office Is an Occupied Office
BLOG

A Resilient Office Is an Occupied Office

In order to thrive, our downtown cores and buildings need to become more resilient, adaptable, and multiuse — considering efficient use of space and...

2022
DESIGN FORECAST

2022

Design Forecast focuses on design strategies that will define the future of the human experience. With strategic advice, research, and projects from...

Trends Shaping the Future of Mixed Use and Retail Centers
BLOG

Trends Shaping the Future of Mixed Use and Retail Centers

Mixed use spaces are in demand because mixed use provides flexibility, diversity, and a range of experiences. So, what’s next for mixed-use...

What’s Next for Developers Looking to Reposition Real Estate Assets
BLOG

What’s Next for Developers Looking to Reposition Real Estate Assets

Developers are looking to make transformational investments to ensure their assets are future proof. So, what’s next for office building...

Distribution Center Design and Last-Mile Logistics
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Distribution Center Design and Last-Mile Logistics

Here are five considerations for setting up a successful logistics center that will meet the challenges in last-mile delivery.

Cities Are Rebounding, But Their Relationship With Residents Is Changing
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Cities Are Rebounding, But Their Relationship With Residents Is Changing

For the first time since we began surveying global city residents in May 2020 — during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — living...

Rethinking Longevity in an Age-Inclusive World
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Rethinking Longevity in an Age-Inclusive World

Here are five strategies for reimagining longevity in an age-inclusive world.

How AT&T’s Discovery District Is Transforming Dallas’ Urban Core
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How AT&T’s Discovery District Is Transforming Dallas’ Urban Core

By creating an immersive, mixed-use destination, the AT&T Discovery District has reimagined the company’s headquarters as a magnetic new public...

The Benefits of Converting Class C Office Into First Class Residential
BLOG

The Benefits of Converting Class C Office Into First Class Residential

From coast-to-coast, clients are facing a similar challenge: in order to future-proof older buildings, they’ll need to make their buildings more...

Climate Action Through Design
SUSTAINABILITY

Climate Action Through Design

Addressing the built environment’s impact on climate change is both a moral and business imperative. At Gensler, our goal is to make all the...

5 Principles for Retail Center Repositioning
BLOG

5 Principles for Retail Center Repositioning

Converting aging or underutilized retail malls into vibrant, mixed-use developments will unlock latent value and meet consumers’ rapidly changing...

Real Estate Must Offer Human Experiences, as We Escape Virtual Lockdown Living
BLOG

Real Estate Must Offer Human Experiences, as We Escape Virtual Lockdown Living

The recovery is an opportunity to realign real estate value with human experience.

Reimagining San Antonio as a 20-Minute City
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Reimagining San Antonio as a 20-Minute City

The idea of a “20-minute city,” in which residents’ needs can all be found within a 20-minute walk or short bike ride from their homes, can be...

As E-commerce Booms, Transportation Logistics Are Shifting to Meet Demand
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As E-commerce Booms, Transportation Logistics Are Shifting to Meet Demand

Companies are looking for a faster and more efficient way to ship goods to consumers. Intermodal transportation could prove to be the most efficient...

How to Bring Older Office Buildings Back to Life Amid a Struggling Commercial Real Estate Market
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How to Bring Older Office Buildings Back to Life Amid a Struggling Commercial Real Estate Market

Here are several opportunities commercial real estate developers can consider when converting or repositioning under-performing office buildings.

How the Pandemic Could Reshape the World’s Cities
BLOG

How the Pandemic Could Reshape the World’s Cities

We have an opportunity to provide a more fulfilling urban experience and to design for health, equity, and accessibility.

Developing Open Space as the Public’s Living Room
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Developing Open Space as the Public’s Living Room

Outdoor public gathering spaces fulfill a basic human need to be around people. With the pandemic keeping us confined, public space can also be a...

Rebuilding Consumer Confidence in Our Shopping Destinations
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Rebuilding Consumer Confidence in Our Shopping Destinations

What are the long-term implications that will change how we experience shopping and leisure destinations?

5 ‘Out of the Box’ Strategies for the Retail Real Estate Market
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5 ‘Out of the Box’ Strategies for the Retail Real Estate Market

Here are five recommendations for retail reuse to align under-utilized real estate assets with growing community needs.

Crafting Our Way Into a New Era of Human Connection
BLOG

Crafting Our Way Into a New Era of Human Connection

With all the talk about re-entry, return to work, and reopening of retail and schools, it seems the measures the world is taking to welcome people...

Defining the Future of Our Cities: Five Areas of Opportunity for a Post-Pandemic World
BLOG

Defining the Future of Our Cities: Five Areas of Opportunity for a Post-Pandemic World

We are witnessing global disruption at an unprecedented scale. But if we can live though disruptions as a new normal, then we may emerge even...

Redesigning Mixed-Use Environments for a Post-Pandemic World
BLOG

Redesigning Mixed-Use Environments for a Post-Pandemic World

What will mixed-use and public places look like after this pandemic?

Leveraging Client Networks to Inform Retail Site Recommendations
RESEARCH

Leveraging Client Networks to Inform Retail Site Recommendations

An investigation into how to help retailers streamline their site selection process.

Legacy Building
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Legacy Building

Gensler’s Todd Heiser and Benjy Ward on why adaptive reuse is about more than just renovation.

The New Shape of Retail Around the World
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

The New Shape of Retail Around the World

Across the globe, consumers’ tastes vary, but universally, they expect more from their retail environments than just a place to shop.

How We're Innovating to Create Housing for All
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

How We're Innovating to Create Housing for All

To respond to the global need for more housing — and more affordable housing — we’re exploring ideas that include co-living spaces, senior living...

Is There Still a Difference Between Live, Work, and Play?
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Is There Still a Difference Between Live, Work, and Play?

As our lives blend together, our spaces need to become more hybrid as well.

Adaptive Reuse Strategies for a Net-Zero Future
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Adaptive Reuse Strategies for a Net-Zero Future

Here are 3 successful examples of when developers chose adaptive reuse strategies over new builds.

Client Interview: Bryan Koop, Boston Properties
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Client Interview: Bryan Koop, Boston Properties

Bryan Koop of Boston Properties shares insights on mobility and mixed-use trends.

Reinventing the Mall
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Reinventing the Mall

Developers are transforming struggling malls into thriving urban lifestyle centers.

Designing Intergenerational Communities
BLOG

Designing Intergenerational Communities

In partnership with the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging, Gensler teams from Los Angeles and Washington, DC created speculative...

The Inertia of Home
BLOG

The Inertia of Home

For tenants, moving is expensive, unsettling, and time-consuming. For owners, high turnover is costly because of repairs and maintenance between...

Schools in the City | An interview with Matthew Shank, Marymount University & Samantha Baker, Ballston BID
PODCAST

Schools in the City | An interview with Matthew Shank, Marymount University & Samantha Baker, Ballston BID

In today’s podcast, Duncan Lyons, Design Director at Gensler, is speaking with Matthew Shank, President Emeritus at Marymount University and...

Investigating Japan’s Unique Transportation Retail Hubs
RESEARCH

Investigating Japan’s Unique Transportation Retail Hubs

An in-depth assessment of Japan's railway retail system to improve the user experience.

Investigating Downtown Neighborhood Resurgence
RESEARCH

Investigating Downtown Neighborhood Resurgence

Analyzing what drives downtown resurgence and its surrounding areas.

Polycentric Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Growth
BLOG

Polycentric Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Growth

As we approach a new normal for urban density, the cities that are best positioned for the future are evolving along a decentralized, multi-nodal...

Designing the Cities of the Future
DESIGN UPDATE

Designing the Cities of the Future

Modern cities can be built on time-honored principles and shaped by regional culture and local values, as demonstrated at Msheireb Downtown Doha.

More than a Mall, a ‘Retail City’
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

More than a Mall, a ‘Retail City’

The Avenues adds new experiences to a regional shopping destination.

Placemaking and the art of Mixed Use
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Placemaking and the art of Mixed Use

As more people turn to technology for their daily transactions, designers of mixed-use developments are focusing on placemaking to deliver meaningful...

The Gensler Experience Index: Hospitality
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

The Gensler Experience Index: Hospitality

Design is a key differentiator between a good experience and a great one.

A Civic Gateway Rooted in Place
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

A Civic Gateway Rooted in Place

A legendary site in downtown Boston is the catalyst for neighborhood transformation.

The Gensler Experience Index: Retail
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

The Gensler Experience Index: Retail

Design is the “X factor” that engages people and keeps them coming back.

Worlds Collide
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Worlds Collide

As brands blend and the digital merges with the physical, a new type of convergence is defining the built environment.

Experience Index: Retail
RESEARCH

Experience Index: Retail

An in-depth investigation into the changing retail experience and areas for improvement

Autonomous Vehicles and Their Impact on Real Estate
RESEARCH

Autonomous Vehicles and Their Impact on Real Estate

A deep dive into the impact of the increased use of autonomous vehicles on future real estate investments, specifically parking.

Introducing the Gensler Experience Index
RESEARCH

Introducing the Gensler Experience Index

The Gensler Experience IndexSM is the result of a multi-year research effort to identify and quantify the factors of design that impact the human...

The Solutions to Climate Change Are Already at Our Fingertips
BLOG

The Solutions to Climate Change Are Already at Our Fingertips

Because every project we work on is either part of the problem or part of the solution, we made a commitment to measure the environmental impact of...

On Track for Livable Growth
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

On Track for Livable Growth

A survey of cities using transit-served urban centers to spark renewal.

Urban Farmification: Big Box Underground
RESEARCH

Urban Farmification: Big Box Underground

Exploring the opportunities and realities of submerging big box retail centers to support rooftop farming.

Re-Imagining an American Icon
BLOG

Re-Imagining an American Icon

The Willis Tower is one of the world’s tallest buildings. At ground level, however, something is noticeably absent.

Human Experience Is the Future of Design
BLOG

Human Experience Is the Future of Design

We believe human experience is the future of design. People are the one constant in this era of dramatic technological change, demographic shifts...

Hack the City
RESEARCH

Hack the City

Redesigning our cities through active community engagement.

Tokyo’s Third Places
RESEARCH

Tokyo’s Third Places

Exploring ways to improve work/life balance for Tokyo’s busy workforce.

Manhattan’s Next Hot Neighborhood
RESEARCH

Manhattan’s Next Hot Neighborhood

An "up-zoning" proposal to encourage building renovation and neighborhood revitalization.

Measuring Urban Experience
RESEARCH

Measuring Urban Experience

A tool for gathering qualitative data about the urban realm.

Experiential ROI
RESEARCH

Experiential ROI

What makes for a positive retail experience?

Measuring Experience
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

Measuring Experience

Gensler researchers take on the challenge of quantifying the value of experiential design.

The State of Parking
RESEARCH

The State of Parking

How do we optimize parking in today’s and tomorrow’s cities?

In the Mix
DIALOGUE ARTICLE

In the Mix

Work was a silo, but now we stack, embed, and overlay it with the rest of life to create great synergies and adjacencies. Welcome the newly...

Design Update: Shanghai Tower
DESIGN UPDATE

Design Update:
Shanghai Tower

Inspired by Shanghai’s tradition of parks and neighborhoods, China’s tallest mixed-use building will complete the world’s first super-highrise...

Curating the Right Mix
RESEARCH

Curating the Right Mix

Can China create better cities? For China’s cities to grow while maintaining a sense of community, we must enrich projects through a focus on...