No vacancy: explaining the undulation of office building construction projects in Chicago\u27s central business district during the 1970s

The research endeavors to explain the absence of office building construction projects in Chicago’s Central Business District between 1976 and 1979. Fourteen office building construction projects were completed between 1970 and 1975 but none during the period studied. Using a socio-spatial perspective to analyze the impact of political, economical, and cultural redevelopment strategies, this paper finds that despite overwhelming neoliberal policies of the 1970s, unusually elevated vacancy rates and cultural provenance altered the course of redevelopment strategies. Among the findings, this research highlights the importance of culturally significant public symbols, such as historic landmark buildings, as catalysts for regulation that resists aggressive redevelopment strategies and influences urban policy decisions