Three years after the pandemic sent shockwaves through the world and temporarily transformed downtowns into ghost towns, many city centers are still trying to regain their footing.
Hybrid work arrangements have kept commuter traffic well below pre-pandemic levels. Public transit ridership hasn't rebounded. High-profile office vacancies dot many skylines.
But some cities are more primed for a rebound than others, based on a new analysis by The Business Journals.
Our inaugural Downtown Vitality Index shows how city centers across the nation compare in a variety of metrics that can affect the health of a downtown — from migration and commuting patterns to commercial real estate and public transit data.
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The verdict for Boston? The city ranks 30th out of 42 metro areas were compared. We ranked slightly below average in several categories — namely, the return of commuters, transit riders and airline traffic — but the one area where Boston is falling far behind is in businesses moving out of the downtown area. See the charts below for more details.
