The Emergence of a New "Downtown"

HE freeways encircling large metropolises in the United States have spawned new business complexes that threaten the traditional supremacy of the central business district (CBD). Suburbanites and a large share of the central-city population have reoriented their lives to one or more of these new downtowns, while the CBD has decayed. The suburban freeway corridor (SFC) now houses a complete mix of the business establishments regularly frequented by the geographically mobile middleand upper-class residents of the modern metropolis. Light industrial plants, warehouses, and office buildings along the freeway employ breadwinners; homemakers shop at large supermarkets and regional shopping malls; and motor hotels, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and sports complexes attract those in search of entertainment.'