Diversify or die: San Francisco’s downtown is a wake-up call for other cities

People make their way past retail spaces for lease at Union Square in San Francisco, on June 21, 2023. San Francisco's downtown has seen an exodus of retailers and now a shopping mall owner is turning the complex over to its lender in the face of declining foot traffic and empty office space. While San Francisco faces some of its own unique issues, such as a heavy reliance on tech workers, most of them working largely remotely, the problems serve as warning signs for other downtowns across the country, which are also feeling some pain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)