Downtown LA Hits New Low in Latest Troubling Rankings
Downtown Los Angeles ranked near the bottom for vibrancy among 75 major cities as surging homelessness and crime 743 percent higher than the rest of the city drive businesses away.
According to New York Post, the Gensler 2026 City Pulse report placed DTLA near the bottom for vibrancy and even lower for aesthetic appeal, with comparable cities such as Madrid, Chicago and Toronto significantly outperforming the California metropolis.
The survey found that approximately 65 percent of respondents considered DTLA vibrant, a stark contrast to Madrid’s 77 percent, Chicago’s 84 percent and Toronto’s 71 percent. Downtown San Francisco received similarly poor marks with a 67 percent vibrancy score, while San Jose languished at just 61 percent.
When it comes to beauty, downtown Los Angeles ranked as the seventh worst in the United States, barely edging out Denver and St. Louis.
Crime Rate 743% Higher Than Rest of City
The downtown district suffers from a crime rate that is 743 percent higher than the rest of Los Angeles, according to Spectrum News reporting. The area’s infamous Skid Row houses one of the largest concentrations of homeless individuals in the United States.
Businesses have abandoned the district in droves due to rampant crime, visible homelessness and a dwindling customer base that no longer ventures downtown.
Kelly Farrell, managing director of Gensler’s Los Angeles office, told the Los Angeles Times that the city faces a fundamental challenge. LA’s kind of central problem is that businesses have left LA, Farrell explained, emphasizing the need to bring offices and workers back to create after-hours activity that supports local businesses.
Historic Core Hollowed Out
The Gensler report highlighted that successful downtown areas should be walkable cultural and entertainment hubs featuring a balanced mix of retail, offices and residential space.
A California Post investigation from August 2025 documented more than 100 vacant storefronts in the Historic Core, traditionally the heart of downtown’s shopping and entertainment district. Business owners cited crime, record-breaking rents and a vanishing customer base as primary factors in their closures.
When Cole’s French Dip, Los Angeles’ oldest restaurant, announced its closure last year, the establishment stated that many historical independent restaurants were struggling under the weight of these issues, with those still operating fighting just to survive.
City Attempts Revitalization Through Housing Conversion
Los Angeles officials have attempted to revitalize the area by converting abandoned office buildings into residential units. City leaders enacted a comprehensive overhaul of reuse regulations in February, dramatically expanding the locations and methods by which vacant commercial properties can be transformed into apartments.
Farrell believes increasing the residential population represents the key to reversing downtown’s decline. He argues that one of the most effective safety measures is creating an abundance of population, noting that currently empty ground-floor retail spaces typically see crime reduction once they become occupied and active.
With information from New York Post
