'Better Together': Adding Density in Memphis

Crosstown Concourse, a new mixed-use project in Memphis, has made a "vertical village" out of an old Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center.

The 10-story building is the result of a $200 million redevelopment project planned, fundraised, and constructed over the course of seven years, the Urban Land Institute reports. "Health companies, artists, a high school, educational organizations, retailers, and restaurants occupy virtually all of the commercial space, while residents fill 265 apartments spread across the upper four floors," writes Joe Gose for ULI's Urban Land blog. The structure gets about two to three thousand people in foot traffic per day.

“Crosstown Concourse has really become the most significant part of Memphis in terms of activity at the moment,” says Alan Boniface, a principal with the North American design firm DIALOG and a ULI full member, who was involved in the effort to reuse Crosstown Concourse. “It is a meeting place for all walks of life.” Rather than simply paying rent in return for space to serve customers, more than 40 commercial tenants in Crosstown Concourse are pursuing a collaborative mission to become “better together”—a mantra that is cited often in the building’s redevelopment story. It’s a vision that started with Todd Richardson and Christopher Miner, founders of Crosstown Arts, an organization focused on cultivating the creative community in Memphis. They believed that by moving their group into the building, they could rebuild the neighborhood.

Read more