On Wednesday, May 29, a group of civic leaders, business owners, developers, and stakeholders met again at the Shreveport Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to keep the conversation going about the future of downtown. This was a follow-up to a similar session held on April 25, where participants began exploring what it would take to bring new life to underused commercial buildings in the city center.
This time, the group was joined by Brooks Howell and Steven Paynter, Principal at Gensler’s Toronto office. Paynter is a recognized expert in the field of adaptive reuse and has worked with cities across North America to help convert outdated office buildings into new housing and mixed-use projects. According to the Urban Land Institute, he is considered “the global thought leader of building transformation and adaptive reuse.”
Paynter shared case studies from cities that have successfully turned office towers into residential spaces and mixed use buildings. These projects make better use of space while responding to today’s changing demand. In a post-pandemic and technology driven world the demand for larger office towers has declined. His team’s research highlighted both the challenges and the opportunities in taking on these types of transformations..
The room included a wide range of people: developers, property owners, architects, planners, and civic leaders. While everyone recognized the real challenges ahead, there was shared optimism.
The DDA and its partners plan to keep the conversation going. This is part of a broader effort to plan for what downtown Shreveport can become—not just in the short term, but for years to come. With several active and upcoming projects already underway, meetings like these are helping build momentum and lay the groundwork for thoughtful, strategic progress.
To learn more or stay connected to future updates, visit www.downtownshreveport.com.
