Office buildings continue to lose tenants as the remote work trend persists.
Southern California’s office vacancy rate reached 20 percent at the end of 2023, according to an article by Jonathan Lansner in the
Orange County Register. “Those vacancies would fill 58 US Bank Towers, the 72-story Downtown LA landmark with 1.4 million square feet of office space,” Lansner notes.
Los Angeles led the way with 51 million square feet of vacant office space, or 24 percent of the city’s stock. In Orange County, 18 million vacant square feet amount to 19.6 percent of the region’s offices.
See the source article for a more in-depth breakdown of vacancy rates in different areas and neighborhoods.
Read the full story: 20% of Southern California offices are empty. Where are the most vacancies?
Revitalizing Suburban Office Space
Suburban office buildings are also losing tenants, but face some unique challenges compared to their urban counterparts.
Texas Cities’ Office Vacancy Rates Close to Double New York, San Francisco
A glut of office buildings in the pro-development state is leading to some of the highest vacancy rates in the country, even as population growth spikes.
The Future of Central Business Districts
Urbanist Richard Florida assesses post-pandemic possibilities for neighborhoods that once relied on 9-to-5 workers.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority