Why New York isn't going back to work

“Manhattan has really gone downhill since the pandemic began,” says Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban planning at NYU. “There are no tourists, no shoppers and, of course, no workers.”

By the numbers: Nationally, around 25% of workers have returned to offices, the Wall Street Journal reports. In Los Angeles, 32% have gone back, and in Dallas, 40%.

But only 12% of New Yorkers have returned, according to the latest numbers from commercial real estate firm CBRE, which manages 20 million square feet of office space in the city.

What’s happening: “All of the reasons why New York is suffering disproportionately right now are related to its competitive advantages,” says Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.