CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE—Chicago's downtown is in the midst of an office and multifamily development boom, much of it driven by the desire among young office workers to have urban lifestyles, and who in turn attract suburban corporations that need access to their talents. But other cities around the Midwest, including Detroit, Kansas City and St. Louis, have experienced the same phenomenon. Another is Milwaukee, where new submarkets have opened up in and near its downtown, and where the migration of firms to the suburbs over the last few decades has begun to reverse.
“This is the culmination of a long-term, secular trend toward urban living,” Dan Walsh, executive vice president of Transwestern in Milwaukee, tells GlobeSt.com. “I don't think we're very different from other markets around the country. And all the companies that need these employees are looking for something that will give them an advantage in the hiring process.”
And frequently that means not just a downtown location, but one that offers an inspiring workplace. Many local employers here have embraced collaborative and diverse office designs, and some utilize outdoor gathering spaces that take advantage of the fact that this city's downtown, like Chicago's, sits at the confluence of a major river and Lake Michigan.
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
