the most empty downtown in america

Rob Szypko and

Mary Wilson and

Marc Georges and

Dan Powell and


For the past decade, San Francisco has worked hard to turn its downtown into a vibrant hub, providing a model that other cities in the United States looked to emulate.

In the wake of the pandemic, however, many buildings and offices in the center of the city have remained empty.

What went wrong?


Conor Dougherty, an economics reporter for The New York Times.

emma goldberg square320 v2

Emma Goldberg, a reporter covering the future of work for The New York Times.

On any given week in San Francisco, office buildings are at about 40 percent of their prepandemic occupancy.
Aaron Wojack for The New York Times

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Conor Dougherty and Emma Goldberg contributed reporting.

The Daily is made by Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Dave Shaw, Sydney Harper, Robert Jimison, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Anita Badejo, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Chelsea Daniel, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Sofia Milan, Ben Calhoun and Susan Lee.

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