Back in late 2019 B.C. (Before COVID-19), we released the P.U.M.A. 2020 Global Trends Report highlighting opportunities arising from converging shifts in demographics, lifestyles and a new category, “disruptive forces,” that are shaping our cities. Little did we know that months later we’d be in the midst of the disruptive events of our lifetimes – the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc on public health and economies around the globe and the American protests for racial justice that could accelerate dramatic social change.

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Since we initiated the P.U.M.A.’s Global Trends Report in 2007, it has become a reliable go-to resource for downtown management organizations, business leaders, and local decision-makers, and has often predicted and/or reaffirmed many of the shifts that have supported the urban renaissance. We now offer a 2020 Global Trends Report Pandemic Update – our reasoned estimation and expectation on how the pandemic and associated disruptions will affect North American downtowns. We also offer a qualifier that today’s analysis may have a limited shelf life, as we’ve watched conditions change weekly during the initial months of the pandemic.