When large numbers of people began working from home, few imagined how deeply it might affect the places they lived. At first, the shift seemed to be simply about where individuals did their jobs. But as remote and hybrid working have become permanent features of many economies, economists and city planners have started to consider a far bigger question: what happens to cities when millions of workers no longer need to travel into them every day?

For decades, the centres of major cities were built around the daily journey of office workers. Vast districts of tall office buildings filled up each morning and emptied each evening. Around them grew an entire ecosystem of cafes, restaurants, shops and transport services that depended on this predictable flow of people. When a significant proportion of those workers stay at home, even for just two or three days a week, the effects ripple outwards in ways that are only now becoming clear.

Some of the consequences are troubling. City-centre businesses that relied on office workers have suffered, and some have closed. Public transport systems, which were designed and funded around peak-hour commuting, face financial difficulties. There are fears that some business districts could become half-empty, leading to a decline that is difficult to reverse.

Yet many observers see opportunity rather than disaster. Empty office buildings could be converted into much-needed housing, helping to ease the shortage of affordable homes. With fewer commuters, cities have a chance to reduce pollution and reclaim road space for parks and pedestrians. Meanwhile, smaller towns that were once quiet during the day have come alive, as residents who used to commute now work, shop and eat locally. In this view, the changes represent not the death of the city but its reinvention.

It is far too early to know how this story will end. Cities have repeatedly proved themselves able to adapt, reinventing their purpose as circumstances change. The office may no longer be the beating heart of urban life that it once was, but the city itself is unlikely to fade away. Instead, it will probably become something different – and, quite possibly, something better.