As more and more cities look to adapt vacant office buildings into homes, a new analysis from Urban Institute says some cities will benefit more than others.

A new analysis from the Urban Institute takes a look at which cities will get the biggest bang for their buck out of office to residential conversions. According to UI Research Associate Jorge González-Hermoso, facing unprecedented commercial vacancy rates and a national shortage of approximately four million homes, local governments across the country are incentivizing adaptive reuse of vacant offices into housing. “One estimate points to 58,000 new housing units currently being built in the US from repurposed office space,” he writes.
But just as some buildings are better suited than others to residential conversion (e.g., inoperable windows and larger floorplans that decrease window access), some cities stand to benefit more from conversion incentive policies than others.
To determine which, González-Hermoso built a conversation disposition index based on various factors illustrating office distress and housing supply need. According to his analysis, these five places are primed for office to residential conversion:
- San Mateo County, California
- Seattle
- Phoenix
- Atlanta
- San Francisco
The article also offers tips on how stakeholders can promote adaptive reuse of office space, including land-use reform, building code updates, streamlined permitting processes, and tax credits or abatements.
FULL STORY: Which Cities Would Benefit Most from Converting Offices into Housing?

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions