Preferred Office Locations: Comparing Location Preferences and Performance of Office Space in CBDs, Suburban Vibrant Centers and Suburban Areas

Where do today’s office tenants want to be located? This comprehensive study, which combines expert opinion and accurate property-level data, provides reliable information about emerging location preferences across major U.S. office markets and the comparative performance of office space in CBDs, suburban vibrant centers — defined as amenity-rich, mixed-use, “live, work, play” locations — and typical single-use suburban areas.

Overall, office tenants show no strong preference for either downtown or suburban locations. Yet the study reveals a clear preference for suburban vibrant centers over typical single-use suburban office environments, and demonstrates that office properties in suburban vibrant centers are outperforming those in typical single-use suburban office areas on almost all metrics.

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Full Report

Executive Summary (1-7)

Full Report without Appendixes (8-44)

Appendix A: Research on Location Preferences

Appendix B: Survey Questionnaire

Appendix C: Selected CoStar Market Areas

Appendix D: Research Methods for the Performance Analysis

Appendix E: Central Business District and Suburban Area Definitions

Appendix F: Second- and Third-Tier Office Market Comparisons

Appendix G: Suburban Vibrant Centers and Their Comparables

Appendix H: Vibrant Center Contacts