Older buildings that go dark will become expensive eyesores. A reduction in workers flooding into office districts each day will squeeze city wage tax revenues, mass transit ridership, and the local economy. Restaurants, boutiques, and businesses within walking distance of an office will lose the daily foot traffic that keeps them in the black.

Workers have proven they can function remotely, and they are demanding their employers keep the option of remote or hybrid work.

Over the next few years, as tenants start to rethink space needs and their leases roll over, they'll go into better buildings, and the worse buildings wil...