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Office work is officially back from the deadif New York is any indication, that is. In Manhattan, businesses are leasing more office space than they have in close to a decade, in a sign that the return-to-office movement is likely to stick around. According to real estate investor CBRE, during the first nine months of 2025, Manhattan businesses leased 23.2 million square feet of office space, the most since 2006. Leasing has already surpassed last year’s total, with 143 leases at more than $100 per square foot. However, as the epicenter of business, New York City is an outlier: Nationally, leasing is still around 11% below the pre-COVID average. Unsurprisingly, financial firms, as well as tech, media, and advertising companies, are driving the surge with major deals. In April, Deloitte signed a lease with Hudson Yards for 800,000 square feet of a 717-foot tower still under construction. Amazon is expanding its NYC office presence, too. In 2020, the tech giant bought the historic Lord & Taylor building. This year, the company bought a building at 522 Fifth Ave. A month earlier, the company leased 330,000 square feet of office space from Israel-based Property & Building Corp. at Bryant Park. The leasing boom is so pronounced that developers have announced more than six new projects to meet the growing demand. This includes a new office building in Grand Central with Ikea as a ground-floor tenant, and JPMorgan Chases $3 billion tower at 270 Park Ave. With all the extra office space, New Yorkers are going to be expected to occupy itparticularly given the rise in return-to-office initiatives. Case in point: Last year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy mandated that nearly all Amazon employees work in the office five days a week, pressing that on-site presence fuels productivity and creativity. When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant, Jassy wrote in a memo. “Its easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another. In July 2025, New York office visits were 1.3% higher than they were six years ago. But nationally, return-to-office policies have been trending upward, too. A recent Kastle Systems report found that in Class A+ buildings (new, high-quality buildings usually occupied by major companies), office attendance was around 76.3% in the 10 largest U.S. metro areas. The overall average for the same cities was 54.1%.
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E-Commerce
In January 2025, Los Angeles suffered an unspeakable wildfire tragedy, destroying at least 17,000 structures, and with tens of thousands of people forced out of their homes. Almost immediately, government officials declared a state of emergency and laid out a path to rebuild like for like. However, in the aftermath of such disasters when rebuilding from the ground up, is like for like the best way to proceed? These disasters provide an opportunity to future-proof our neighborhoods for the next generation of environmental challenges. In face of seemingly endless, floods, fires, rising temperatures, and energy crises, we must take the time to rethink our way forward. PLAYING WITH FIRE In L.A. alone, just over quarter of a million homes are located in hillside high-fire hazard zones. The allure of views and exclusivity often comes with increased risk as most flames, especially wind-driven ones, spread much faster uphill. Any upslope overhanging structures, such as wooden decks, provide perfect fuel for upslope fires and once ignited, the flames easily transfer to any connected structure. So, how does one capitalize on the hillside views but simultaneously manage the danger? Having a fuel modification zonea clear area of land around structures that essentially removes fuel for wildfiresis a definite first step. The use of noncombustible materials should be encouraged including wood composites, standing seam metal roofs, and noncombustible claddinglike plaster, or Hardie panelsmade from a combination of cement, sand, cellulose fibers, and other additives. These remain intact for several hours before beginning to break down, even when exposed to high heat. For a recent project in a risk-prone canyon, we also designed a perforated metal fire shield, separated from the house by a couple of feet. It provides a layer of protection against the sun but also repels flying embers. A fire shield is also a straightforward modification for existing homes, and a consideration for new construction. We can build additional safety nets through landscaping by using water-retaining plants like cacti and other succulents strategically around the property. Drought-tolerant planting is both environmentally sound and practical, as these plants retain water to provide another barrier of protection between the outside and the home. A FLOOD OF QUESTIONS With increasingly frequent hurricanes and flooding, home design needs to finally begin to respond to these recurring events. Mies van der Rohes Farnsworth house in Plano, Illinois is located in a flood zone but designed so that the living quarters were raised above flood levels at that time. This resulted in one of the most iconic home designs of the 20th century, essentially proving that great design can be achieved while solving for extreme environments. In addition, all essential infrastructure should be raised above flood levels. Construct permanent barriers around the home, especially if adapting existing buildings to respond to environmental pressure. Sites should be graded to slope away from the structure. Use concrete piers for foundations or, better still, permeable foundations to relieve hydrostatic pressure. Install sewer backflow valves to prevent sewage flow into the home in the event of flooding. People looking to insulate existing homes against environmental stressors, like frequent flooding, who cant fully modify an older property can introduce an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) designed to be entirely flood proof, providing a safe place to land if the original propertys defenses are breached by water. These ADUs can be constructed to be entirely off grid and raised above flood level, using nontraditional materials like concrete to insulate against fire and wind events. RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES During the Palisades and Eaton fires in L.A., due to power shut offs plus damages from wind and fire, nearly half a million residents lost power. In a time when many jurisdictions are aggressively moving toward exclusively electric power, hardships are compounded by loss of power as people are left unable to heat their homes or cook their meals even if they have not been directly impacted. It is imperative that homes can weather a crisis by having enough independent energy to power their essential services. Electric power, especially when obtained from renewable sources like solar panels, is a more economical and environmentally responsible option. If this is coupled with adequate battery storage to power the homes essential services, it is easier to weather a crisis. Rolling power shut offs are also becoming increasingly common in response to scorching temperatures around the country, so energy independence should become a priority for homeowners to insure themselves against an outage that is a direct result of environmental stress. BETTER, STRONGER, SMARTER After the January wildfires, the City of Los Angeles released an emergency declaration to clear the way to rebuild homes as they were and allow rebuilding like for like. While well intentioned and sweeping in its reach, this declaration should be strongly resisted. We must oppose the temptation to recreate exactly what was lost and instead focus on creating a model for development that minimizes the chance of destruction occurring again. With climate change and extreme weather events happening with increased frequency, we need to adjust to this new reality by hardening our homes, both existing and new, and embracing the opportunity to rebuild better, stronger, and smarter for future generations. Nerin Kadribegovic is founder and principal at Kadre Architects.
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We are fully committed to AI adoption, the CEO told me, proud of the companys recent employee training initiatives. But is AI just another tool in their toolbox, or a new way of working? I asked. Silence. Your number one enemy is the lack of an answer to this question, I continued. Your employees are hearing doomsday predictions about how AI will soon eliminate their jobs, so they resist and reject these technologies. Most importantly, they have no idea who they will become after AI is adopted, I concluded. This isnt the first time Ive witnessed this overly enthusiastic, roll-the-dice approach to AI. Once again, technologists are scaring business leaders into embracing the latest technologywithout any business context or strategy. The results are always the same: high resistance, early failures, disappointment, and no real return on investment. Gartner has rightfully crowned this as the hype cycle. The AI world is now divided into fans and foes. The fans cite endless statistics, insisting that adopting AI is absolutely criticalotherwise, extinction looms. (Case in point: the CEO who famously fired 80% of his staff for failing to embrace AI. A masterclass in fearmongering.) The foes, meanwhile, wave a recent MIT study as proof that the benefits of this technology are overstated. That study found only 5% of task-specific AI tools were successfully deployed in organizationsclear evidence of the challenge in specialized AI rollout. In contrast, 40% of generic generative AI tools (LLMs) succeeded, often driven by employee initiative rather than top-down directives. The foes refrain: Leave us alone. Well get there when we get there. URGENCY WITHOUT STRATEGY Both camps wield data devoid of context or direction. They pursue technology for technologys sake, forgetting that organizations do not exist simply to use the latest tools. Tools are just thattools. Its strategy that should be steering the companys investments and efforts. But what if we dont have the answers yet? What if we are navigating uncharted territory, still assembling the puzzle? Sometimes, the unknowns far outweigh the newly discovered. Welcome to the world of real strategy. Strategy, by definition, is not an insurance policy. It comes with no guarantees. A real strategy embraces riskthe possibility of failure from both external changes and internal missteps. Competence in strategy means being able to say, I dont know, and still move forward. Strategies do not need all the answers up front; they need built-in flexibility to adapt as the unknown becomes known, and to guide the organization toward its goals. Absent a strategy, AI becomes a patchwork of experiments with no clear success metrics. With strategy, every effort is framed by the possibilityand definitionof success. BEYOND CORPORATE STRATEGY: PERSONAL STRATEGY Given the fear AI stirs among workers, organizations must consider an additional layer: personal strategy. The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, 39% of workers core skills will be different. The most importantand fastestgrowing skills include: AI and big data Analytical thinking Creative thinking Resilience, flexibility, and agility Technological literacy Leadership and social influence Curiosity and lifelong learning Systems thinking Talent management Motivation and self-awareness Networks and cybersecurity With so much reskilling ahead, employees need their own personal strategy, a thoughtful approach to letting go of outdated skills and embracing new ones. They need to design their roles in the context of these new capabilities and chart a path to their next career milestone. Just as companies challenge employees to automate tasks with AI, they should also challenge them to envision how they will evolve, and what new talents they must develop. THE 3 PERSONALITIES While technology changes rapidly, the human response to change remains remarkably consistent. I am not referring to resistance, but to the varied ways people adopt change. Looking back at past transformations, we can identify three distinct personalities of change adoption: The efficient adopter: Do less, betterThis employee leverages new technology to reduce routine workload, focusing on accuracy and quality. They use technology to deepen their organizational competence. The effective adopter: Do more, fasterBy embracing automation, this employee increases both capacity and output, positioning themselves as creators of greater value. The evolving adopter: Do differentlyThis employee uses the technology not just to improve, but to redefine their role completely. They explore new responsibilities and avenues previously unavailable. The technology may be identical, but employees will utilize it according to their comfort and strategy, each seeking a different outcome. All three types enhance performance and contribution, but through individually tailored strategic approaches. Giving employees a choice reduces fear, fosters control, and allows progress at their own pacewithin the companys broader AI adoption journey. FROM PERSONALITIES TO A JOURNEY In my experience, empowering people to select their personal path accelerates adoption. Often, these three personalities become a sequence of milestones. Employees may start as efficient adopters, progress to effective adopters as confidence grows, and ultimately become evolving adopters. Freedom from fearmongering about job loss fosters a human-centric, resilient approach to technologyand to change more broadly. In Next Is Now!, I argued that the true measure of competitiveness is not in skills or products, but in the speed and scope of adapting to change. Recent World Economic Forum reports reinforce these as essential skills for thriving in our new realitycapabilities that transcend AI and will remain relevant through future upheavals. When steel-based construction emerged in 1890, cities like London and Paris limited building heights to 10 stories, clinging to the old world of concrete-based construction. New York City, on the other hand, had the visionand the strategyto embrace skyscrapers, accelerating technology adoption and surpassing its European rivals. The fear of change, and the hype surrounding new technologies, is nothing new. The lesson: Provide strategic context and human compassion; skip the unnecessary fights and harvest the benefits faster. Lior Arussy, author of Dare to Author! and chairman of ImprintCX.
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E-Commerce
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