Downtown Boston Struggles to Reimagine Its Post-Pandemic Identity
Five years ago, city streets, office buildings, restaurants, and more were devoid of people as the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic settled upon the world. We wondered if and when people would be back. Five years later, we’re still asking this question. While some parts of downtown Boston have shown signs of recovery, the social interaction element has not.
According to the Boston Globe, a Northeastern University study of cellphone data found that when COVID began, “Inhabitants of Greater Boston became far less likely to interact with people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Those numbers have been recovering, but for many parts of the region, particularly in the suburbs, levels of what researchers call ‘social exploration’ have fallen sharply.”
For people like Northeastern University physicist Esteban Moro, who leads the study, along with his colleagues at Northeastern’s Social Urban Networks Group, the analysis of Greater Boston reveals less movement by people overall. “Generally, people in the most affluent suburbs are staying in their affluent suburbs. People in the region’s lower-income corners stay there, too,” according to the Boston Globe.
To encourage people to return to living, working, and playing downtown, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration has undertaken initiatives to convert underutilized older office buildings into housing. According to the Boston Globe, Wu reported that the city has received applications to convert 20 buildings into 760 units of housing, 153 of which will be income-restricted living spaces.
Developers largely aim to bring people back by creating experiences. For example, food halls have started popping up across the city, appealing to tourists, families, and after-hours crowds. Gyms are figuring out how to be “third spaces” where people connect before and after their workouts.
Justin Sorbo of Pearl Street Fitness training studio in the Financial District said, “The entire thing is to facilitate relationship-building of different kinds and having strong bonds and connections with people,” Sorbo said. “Normal face-to-face interactions are something that’s becoming sparse in the area of remote work. We’re definitely shooting for a tighter community here, and we do have that.”
