Cities facing security and other issues following Covid Pandemic downslide

The Future of Cities Partially Hinges on the Effectiveness of Retail Security Programs - HS Today In her 2023 State of the City Address, San Francisco Mayor London Breed acknowledged that the city faces a new reality: “San Francisco downtown as we knew it is not coming back. And that’s ok.” As Mayor Breed emphasized throughout the address, entrenched public safety issues since the COVID-19 pandemic have fundamentally altered downtown landscapes, Brendan North Hstoday

... Cities like San Francisco are suffering through the municipal version of “long Covid,” struggling to withstand enduring remote work dynamics and a pandemic-fueled migration to suburban environments that has yet to reverse. These trends have resulted in a reduced tax base for municipal coffers, which directly impact funding for public safety agencies. Coupled with policy reforms around policing and prosecutorial discretion, America’s big cities face an inflection point in their pandemic recovery, with public safety as a key determinant in whether downtown areas decline or thrive.

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