The Future of Urban America

Empty office buildings. Workforce changes allow for more remote work. American downtowns are struggling. The pandemic-led changes in where and how we work and live have weakened and withered many urban cores. The office vacancy rate in Houston is some 26 percent; in Phoenix it is above 20 percent. This shift means fewer workers, fewer businesses to serve them, less tax revenue, and hollowed-out neighborhoods. Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh of Columbia University coined the term "urban doom loop" to describe the cycle now taking hold in American downtowns, and he believes the biggest challenges are yet to come. But we are not without hope. Can urban America be saved? The O'Connor Institute welcomes Drs. Van Nieuwerburgh and Tracy Hadden Loh of the Brookings Institution to discuss. 

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