At the height of the pandemic, headlines around the world proclaimed an exodus of people from urban centers toward smaller, and possibly safer, communities. The sudden mass shift to remote work—for those who could—helped fuel this rush to more pastoral, or at least less congested, environs. Pundits immediately declared that metropolises like New York City were dead. But are city communities truly at risk of collapse? Or could this moment instead usher in a long awaited renewal for the world’s most populous places?

In this inaugural episode of the Now, What's Next? podcast, host Sonari Glinton introduces us to a host of folks all grappling with their relationship to the city. Helen Lummis left San Francisco and moved to a small cabin in Soda Springs, California. Lee Peart lost his job and had to leave London. He moved back in with his parents in a tiny seaside British town. Author Kevin Baker worries that his beloved New York City is being hollowed out for reasons that aren’t Covid-related. Tiffany Smith has long witnessed thousands of black families fleeing Chicago — but she’s staying put. And amidst all this worry and uncertainty, hip hop ballerina Allison Harsh was asking herself whether moving to the ‘big city’ to jumpstart her career is worth the risk.

The guest speakers are neither employees nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. (“Morgan Stanley”). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and figures contained herein has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information or data contained in this podcast.

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