For some people, working remotely opened up new lifestyle options. Many fled big cities, but they didn’t go very far. Will the resulting growth in suburbs and exurbs have lasting ripple effects?

Traffic congestion is back. But it may not be where you expected it. 

From New York to San Francisco, downtown streets are flowing a bit more freely in the morning than they did pre-pandemic. Drive out of town, though, and by lunchtime you could be snarled in suburban slowdowns that linger into the evening. 

It turns out that...