Despite the improvement in the fortunes of many

Despite the improvement in the fortunes of many urban centers in the past decade, the Brookings Institution says “employment steadily decentralized between 1998 and 2006: 95 out of 98 metro areas saw a decrease in the share of jobs located within three miles of downtown.” According to Brookings, “in almost every major industry, jobs shifted away from the city center.” Only 21 percent of employees in the top 98 metro areas work within three miles of downtown.