Real Estate

Europeans and Americans give poor ratings to their city centres as these grapple with business exodus, overtourism and social issues. Developing nations like downtown better.

• The Ipsos downtown satisfaction survey (2026) found 58% of US residents and 54% of Europeans rated their city centers as poor, compared to 32% in developing nations.
• San Francisco, New York, and London saw the lowest scores due to remote work cutting daily office visits by 30–40% since 2019.
• European downtowns like Venice and Barcelona face overtourism: locals report that tourist numbers have risen 25% above pre-pandemic levels, pushing out residents.