Cities with empty offices see new room to expand housing

To see how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed America’s downtowns, all you have to do is stand in the subway station at Times Square on a weekday morning.

Beneath one of the most iconic intersections in America, trains pull in just a few minutes apart, but even at the height of rush hour they are only half full. The platforms and maze of stairs that lead to the exits are sparsely filled; a stall that sold newspapers and magazines, cigarettes, and soft drinks is shuttered.

On the streets above, the continued toll...