![[BREAKING] Downtown LA on life support as new ranking reveals new low for troubled hub](https://nypost.com/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F06%2Fhomeless-around-city-hall-downtown-128777220.jpg?w%3D683)
Downtown Los Angeles has been ranked as one of the least vibrant on a list of 75 worldwide, as the area struggles with rampant homelessness and crime.
Gensler's 2026 City Pulse report found that DTLA ranks among the worst for vitality, while it scored even lower for beauty.
Cities with comparable populations such as Madrid, Chicago and Toronto surpassed Los Angeles in vitality.
About 65% of respondents considered DTLA vibrant, compared to 77% in Madrid, 84% in Chicago and 71% in Toronto.
Downtown San Francisco also scored poorly, scoring 67% for vitality, while San Jose fared even worse with a score of 61%.
When it comes to beauty, downtown Los Angeles ranked seventh worst in the United States, just above cities like Denver and St.
Louis.
It has a crime rate 743% higher than the rest of the city of Los Angeles, Spectrum News reported.
The area's famous Skid Row contains one of the largest homeless populations in the United States.
Businesses have abandoned the area due to crime, homelessness and an increasingly absent customer population.
"The kind of core problem in Los Angeles is that companies have abandoned Los Angeles.
We need them to bring offices back," Kelly Farrell, managing director of Gensler's Los Angeles office, told the Los Angeles Times.
“Bring people back to stay after work and interact with the businesses that are in the area.” The Gensler report noted that downtown areas should be walkable and characterized as cultural and entertainment centers, with a mix of shops, offices and housing.
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A California Post report from August 2025 noted that there were more than 100 empty storefronts in the area's historic core, the heart of the downtown shopping and entertainment district.
One company cited crime, record rents and a declining number of visits from Angelenos as the reason.
"Many historic independent restaurants are struggling under the weight of these issues and have already closed, while those that remain are struggling to survive," Los Angeles' oldest restaurants, Cole's French Dip, said when they announced their closure last year.
Los Angeles has tried to revitalize the area by transforming abandoned office buildings into housing.
City leaders enacted a sweeping overhaul of reuse rules in February, dramatically expanding where and how vacant commercial buildings can be converted into apartments.
Farrell believes that downtown Los Angeles needs to attract more residents to revitalize the area.
"One of the best things we can do for safety is to have an abundant population," Farrell said.
"You'll see now that we have a lot of great retail stores on the ground floor that are empty.
As they fill up, we typically see crime start to go down with them." California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube,
Gensler's 2026 City Pulse report found that DTLA ranks among the worst for vitality, while it scored even lower for beauty.
Cities with comparable populations such as Madrid, Chicago and Toronto surpassed Los Angeles in vitality.
About 65% of respondents considered DTLA vibrant, compared to 77% in Madrid, 84% in Chicago and 71% in Toronto.
Downtown San Francisco also scored poorly, scoring 67% for vitality, while San Jose fared even worse with a score of 61%.
When it comes to beauty, downtown Los Angeles ranked seventh worst in the United States, just above cities like Denver and St.
Louis.
It has a crime rate 743% higher than the rest of the city of Los Angeles, Spectrum News reported.
The area's famous Skid Row contains one of the largest homeless populations in the United States.
Businesses have abandoned the area due to crime, homelessness and an increasingly absent customer population.
"The kind of core problem in Los Angeles is that companies have abandoned Los Angeles.
We need them to bring offices back," Kelly Farrell, managing director of Gensler's Los Angeles office, told the Los Angeles Times.
“Bring people back to stay after work and interact with the businesses that are in the area.” The Gensler report noted that downtown areas should be walkable and characterized as cultural and entertainment centers, with a mix of shops, offices and housing.
Top California news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
By clicking above, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
A California Post report from August 2025 noted that there were more than 100 empty storefronts in the area's historic core, the heart of the downtown shopping and entertainment district.
One company cited crime, record rents and a declining number of visits from Angelenos as the reason.
"Many historic independent restaurants are struggling under the weight of these issues and have already closed, while those that remain are struggling to survive," Los Angeles' oldest restaurants, Cole's French Dip, said when they announced their closure last year.
Los Angeles has tried to revitalize the area by transforming abandoned office buildings into housing.
City leaders enacted a sweeping overhaul of reuse rules in February, dramatically expanding where and how vacant commercial buildings can be converted into apartments.
Farrell believes that downtown Los Angeles needs to attract more residents to revitalize the area.
"One of the best things we can do for safety is to have an abundant population," Farrell said.
"You'll see now that we have a lot of great retail stores on the ground floor that are empty.
As they fill up, we typically see crime start to go down with them." California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube,
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