While office vacancies remain high and foot traffic sparse in many U.S. downtowns, areas with housing and businesses are more vibrant and desirable than ever.

The rise of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic has indeed shifted the center of gravity for U.S. cities, but rather than the wholesale ‘death of cities’ predicted early on, this change has simply meant that neighborhoods with mixed-use amenities are thriving while sterile, 9-to-5 business districts flounder.
Konrad Putzier and Kate King outline the phenomenon in The Wall Street Journal, writing, “Many residential neighborhoods benefit from remote work. As people spend more time at home, they frequent local shops, gyms and restaurants, boosting the economy of places such as Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Ditmas Park and Williamsburg, as well as Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown.”
Data shows visitor foot traffic is quickly rebounding to pre-pandemic levels in mixed-use, residential neighborhoods, while downtown foot traffic remains low. “Rent data, meanwhile, attests to strong demand for city living,” with rents significantly higher in desirable neighborhoods. “In the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the median rent is up 63%.”
The authors don’t deny the challenges facing cities. “Vacant office buildings leave downtown shops and restaurants with too few customers, while falling commercial building values threaten property-tax revenues,” while “Housing shortages have pushed up rents.” But the neighborhoods with the characteristics and amenities most valued before the pandemic—walkability, access to transit, and a mix of businesses and residential uses—are continuing to draw residents eager to live there.
FULL STORY: American Cities Are Starting to Thrive Again. Just Not Near Office Buildings.

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

EV Chargers Now Outnumber Gas Pumps by Nearly 50% in California
Fast chargers still lag behind amidst rapid growth.

Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.

Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
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