A century ago, factories began being replaced by gleaming skyscrapers occupied by white-collar workers. Today, in the aftermath of the pandemic, many office towers have emptied out as more workers opt to work from home. And as more companies embrace remote workforces, it looks unlikely things will return to what was previously “normal.”
While it’s not clear yet what the resulting “see-through” skyscrapers will become, it’s apparent that the office-centric downtown will soon be a thing of the past, Business Insider reports.
With demand for housing in cities skyrocketing, the most obvious next step would be to turn empty offices into apartments and condos. Such work has been sluggish so far, but for the sake of their ongoing economic vitality, it’s in cities’ best interest to figure out how to quickly convert office-centric downtowns into something more suitable for everyone, the article concludes.
Read more at Business Insider.