North American downtowns are struggling to recover from the global COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the varying rates of recovery experienced by downtown areas in the 66 largest cities of the United States and Canada. Leveraging Location-Based Services data extracted from mobile phone location trajectories, we assess the recovery rates in the 2023 post-pandemic period, juxtaposed against pre-pandemic 2019 levels. We find significant disparities in downtown recovery rates. Economic factors emerge as crucial determinants, where downtowns hosting a concentration of sectors with remote/hybrid work options – such as information, finance, professional services and management – displayed sluggish recovery. Conversely, downtowns with a focus on industries like accommodation, manufacturing, education, retail, construction, entertainment and healthcare exhibited greater resilience post pandemic. Furthermore, higher density, crime rates and education levels were correlated with slower recovery rates, as were harsher weather conditions and longer commuting times. Lower-density and auto-orientated downtowns demonstrated a swift rebound, even surpassing pre-pandemic activity levels. These findings underscore the necessity for tailored policies to bolster the revival of North American downtown areas.

中文翻译：

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评估 COVID-19 大流行后北美城市的市中心恢复率和决定因素


北美市中心正努力从全球新冠肺炎 (COVID-19) 疫情中恢复过来。本研究旨在调查美国和加拿大 66 个最大城市的市中心地区不同的恢复速度。利用从手机位置轨迹中提取的基于位置的服务数据，我们评估了 2023 年大流行后时期的恢复率，并与 2019 年大流行前的水平进行了比较。我们发现市中心的恢复率存在显着差异。经济因素成为关键的决定因素，其中信息、金融、专业服务和管理等具有远程/混合工作选择的部门集中的市中心表现出缓慢的复苏。相反，以住宿、制造、教育、零售、建筑、娱乐和医疗保健等行业为主的市中心在疫情后表现出更大的弹性。此外，较高的密度、犯罪率和教育水平与较慢的恢复速度相关，恶劣的天气条件和较长的通勤时间也是如此。低密度和以汽车为导向的市中心出现了迅速反弹，甚至超过了大流行前的活动水平。这些发现强调了制定有针对性的政策来促进北美市中心地区复兴的必要性。