[orcasushi]

The problem is that these neighborhoods were build when the global population was half the size it is now and spending behavior was way different then it is now.

It is no longer profitable to have a shoe repair shop in the neighborhood. Nobody repairs shoes, everyone buys new online. You cannot get these old times back.

The solution? Look at the Asian urbs. High rise apartment buildings with the first 1 or 2 floors shops. The dense population will make these shops attractive again because dense population causes high demand for convenience-shops. The shops in turn will make the neighborhood attractive for city dwellers. The shops also cause the streets never be empty so crime / vandalism drops. Then it attracts tourists and creates jobs.

Now move all the parking and roads underground and make all the roof tops green public parks and voila! But, what do we do instead? We yank car-oriented flat suburbs and shopping malls all over the place. Those will be the trash-towns of tomorrow.