Suburban placed in Urban

This stemmed from conversation about the 3D models and the general ideas of urban infill and suburban retrofitting.  A question from the discussion concerned the demolition of urban and long established environments for the creation of completely suburban entities.

"Is suburban-to-urban redevelopment in urban areas, the only option?"

I'll give a few thoughts to outline.



From my perspective, typically older cities, industrial based in the U.S. are dealing with old and abandoned buildings and those buildings have been adding up for years, even decades.  While the situation is addressed in differing ways depending on the city, the occurrence of demolishing the older structures or taking vacant lands within generally urban areas and their replacement by strip-type suburban developments can be found in many of these cities.  Old storefronts, offices, and light trades are demolished and replaced by a primarily paved area with the building set to the far reaches away from the street and sidewalk.  This has several effects on the area: disruption of the existing format of the environment, loss of historic buildings or areas, typically the addition of non-contributing businesses/properties (minimal to no landscaping, excessive lighting, etc); and more.

While this topic has been discussed in urban planning and "urbanist" circles, the question asked was if this suburban to urban infill is the only choice for many of these older cities.  Its not unlikely for cities like this to have little or no interest from developers for redeveloping vacant properties, far less so if there are zoning requirements, design restrictions, or other mandates geared to ensure "urban" redevelopment in the urban areas.  Just from a personal perspective, redevelopment that happens in this situation is typically rubber-stamp suburban building and lot form, and mostly at the minimal requirements of the zoning code.

"Is suburban-to-urban redevelopment in urban areas, the only option?"

To be fair, one way to look at it is that any development or business going into an area is at least something.  It is a business coming to the area (most times, since it could also be a relocation).  That business could grow at that area, or expand in the city.  There is also the possibility the business(es) will invest in improvements to the property and perhaps encourage nearby property owners to do the same.  While these are hypothetical scenarios, they are arguably more appealing than having a vacant lot that offers nothing.  It is also better than old buildings in disrepair, sitting unused and detracting from the area and the city as a whole.

I'm still deciding on an answer, but I thought the topic would be good for consideration and comment.