Mr Shannon said fostering authorities were often forced to fill the first available vacancy, rather than choose a vacancy designed for a particular child's needs.

BBC: Foster care motion concluded

Combined with a handful of other large lots of space expected to become available, vacancy rates in the Financial District are expected to spike higher.

FORBES: Buying Time For NYC's Commercial REITs

Before the storm 18% of the 11 million square feet available in the city sat empty, vacancy rates that were five percentage points higher than the national average.

FORBES: Inbound Traffic

The total available retail space in the State Street area increased by 8% between 1990 and 1997, and vacancy rates fell from 6.4% to 1.8%.

ECONOMIST: The state of the cities