| | If you live in a city, your pre-pandemic life likely revolved around work: commuting to and from the office the majority of the week, which was likely in a business district full of other offices. The pandemic changed all that, with office spaces still largely sitting empty. And with remote and hybrid work now popular, downtown business districts will never be the same. But that’s okay, writes Brooks Rainwater, a senior executive of the National League of Cities and director of the Center for City Solutions, because the future of urban life lies in vibrant, civic spaces all throughout a city. “Vibrancy” doesn’t come from offices, he adds, but from people going to cafes, stores, parks, museums, and more. To meet this moment, Rainwater advises, cities need to invest in those kinds of civic spaces, the ones that make a city worth not just visiting, but living in. Read more here. —Kristin Toussaint | | | | | |
| NEWS | Nasdaq goes meta: What you need to know | | Virtual currencies may be taking a beating as of late, but virtual worlds are alive and well—and even the stock markets are starting to take part. | | | On Friday, the Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony occurred both physically in Times Square (as usual) and, for the first time, in the metaverse. | | | The team at Journey, a design consultancy that works in both the physical and virtual world, partnered with Nasdaq and metaverse platform Core to coordinate the dual bell-ringing ceremonies in celebration of the launch of its Metaverse Studio. | | | Metaverses are expected to grow into a $500 billion market by 2028, and businesses would be wise to prepare for that and take advantage, says Cathy Hackl, Journey’s cofounder. “A lot of the brands we’re working with are first-movers, and want to remain culturally relevant,” she adds. | | Check out the latest news stories here. | | | | | | | |