“Great downtown!” exclaimed the Post-it note at the pop-up workshop. Just one of many comments offered during the multi-year San Mateo downtown engagement process. But what makes a great downtown? What are the ingredients? The engagement process attempted to answer these questions and more. A variety of factors contribute to a great downtown, but one that I would venture plays an outsize role is the built environment and historic fabric. Why, I wondered, was the historic district in downtown barely acknowledged during the engagement process? Why was...
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