(The Center Square) – With Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate now at a record-high 28%, Illinois Policy Institute researcher LyLena Estabine says city policymakers have become their own worst enemy when it comes to addressing the area’s changing demographics.

New data shows Loop vacancies ballooned over the recent third quarter as post-pandemic work trends continue to impact and impede demand. All told, companies reducing their footprint in the area over just the last two years have cost the business district 2.3 million square feet, or nearly twice the amount of space vacated during the Great Recession of 2009-2010.