Downtown, Living Upstairs

Historically speaking, it wasn’t until relatively recently that apartments over stores on Main Streets in the suburbs lost their cachet.

And these days, if smart-growth advocates and suburban planners have any say in the matter, they seem poised to get it back. The social and cultural advantages of living downtown, with proximity to mass transportation, are being extolled as a way to revitalize the suburbs and keep young people on the Island.