The concept of live-work-play (LWP) is not a new one, but the popularity of vertical villages that combine residential, office and retail spaces has been gaining ground throughout the U.S. with natural variations across locations. Especially when commuting to and from work takes roughly an hour per day, according to Census data (and even more in large cities, like Washington, D.C.; Boston; and New York), the prospect of having everything you need under one roof becomes all the more appealing.
With this in mind, we focused on identifying the top U.S. cities with the most live-work-play developments completed over the past 10 years and tracked their evolution during this timeframe. We also looked into the distribution of residential, office and retail spaces within these buildings; the building ratings; and the integration level of coworking spaces in the LWP developments.
Highlights
- A total of 542 live-work-play developments opened between 2016 and 2025 across the U.S. with another 69 in the pipeline for 2026.
- With 119 mixed-use developments opened in the past 10 years, New York City holds the highest LWP count in the nation, including coworking in 14% of these buildings.
- Since 2022, the number of coworking spaces in the LWP buildings found in the top cities rose 60%, mirroring the broader national growth of flex office spaces.
- With just seven LWP developments added in the past decade, San Francisco punches above its weight on coworking: It ranks third nationally for flex offices within live-work-play developments, having six — one for nearly every building in its portfolio.
- Rochester, NY defies the national norm by dedicating 51% of its LWP square footage to office space (the highest share in the study), yet remains one of the few cities where coworking presence in mixed-use buildings has yet to catch on.
- Nationally, residential areas account for 62% of the total square footage in live-work-play developments, while office and retail sections make up 27% and 11%, respectively.
National Overview
Throughout the U.S., the LWP movement gained ground slowly, but steadily. During the last decade, 542 LWP developments opened their doors with another 94 on track for 2026 through 2029. Notably, there’s been a clear uptick in activity in recent years with 2025 recording the highest number of mixed-use developments — 67 in total. Momentum continues in 2026 with 69 buildings slated for completion by year’s end. Among the existing stock across the country, residential space in LWP projects outpaces office and retail combined, claiming nearly two-thirds of the total footprint.
Where Work Meets Home: The Rise of Coworking in LWP Buildings
The surge in mixed-use developments coincided with the rapid popularization of coworking spaces across the U.S.: Flex office spaces grew nearly 60% between 2023 and 2025. Now, with 8,854 locations nationwide, it’s no surprise that a few found their way into mixed-use developments. Specifically, between 2022 and 2026, the number of coworking spaces in LWP buildings rose from 35 to 56.
Clearly, the growing integration of coworking in mixed-use developments represents a natural response to current job market conditions: More than 21 million workers across the U.S. are working full-time or partially remotely — an 85% increase from 2020.
Furthermore, companies continue rolling out return-to-office policies without having the space to accommodate all of their employees, prompting leaders to choose flexible offices over long-term traditional office leases. These factors, combined with the open-access nature of coworking spaces, help explain the rise of flex offices in live-work-play buildings.
Cities Leading the Charge
For the last 10 years, New York City has led the country in LWP developments. Starting with seven buildings in 2016, this number steadily increased until it reached 119 in 2025. Additionally, significant increases stand out in 2025, when 31 buildings joined the LWP footprint, as well as in 2022 and 2023, when the city gained 17 and 12 new mixed-use developments, respectively.
Although LWP development is seemingly slowing with five buildings in the pipeline for 2026 and one each in 2027 and 2028, New York still far outpaces any of its contenders. Here, the limited space for expansion, combined with the city’s predisposition for density, makes the rise of mixed-use buildings a natural response for urban planners.
New York also follows the national trend with residential units claiming 72% of total LWP square footage, while office occupies 20%. Within these office spaces, there are 17 coworking spaces — a fitting number for one of the leading U.S. coworking markets.
Home to 15 live-work-play buildings, Miami comes in second on our list. In the years before the pandemic, growth here was minor, yet steady, with one or two buildings entering the real estate market each year. Then, post-pandemic, the sector gained momentum from 2022 onward, delivering 11 mixed-use developments by 2025. Now, three buildings await completion in 2026 and 2027, although Miami’s flourishing economy and expanding professional scene could accelerate that pace.
Mirroring NYC, residential spaces dominate LWP square footage at 73% with office at just 19%. But, even as Miami hosts 89 coworking spaces citywide, only one LWP building contains a flex office, pointing to an untapped market within mixed-use developments.
Beyond the second-highest number of LWP developments, Chicago also claims the third-highest number of coworking spaces within these buildings, which is appropriate for the second-largest coworking market in the U.S. Among Chicago’s 15 LWP developments — 80% of which are Grade A — six currently host coworking spaces.
Interestingly, the pandemic didn’t disrupt the LWP movement here. Roughly the same number of seven live-work-play developments were introduced into the market both before and after 2020. Otherwise, the residential-office-retail split follows the national pattern. Residential accounts for 70% of total LWP square footage, while office spaces and retail cover 21 and 9%, respectively.
Seattle claims the third-largest selection of mixed-use developments constructed in the past decade. Half of the 14 LWP buildings here house coworking spaces, which represents the second-largest pool of flex office space. And, with more than 31% of Seattleites working fully or partially remotely, the demand for coworking runs deep, appearing not only in mixed-use developments, but also across the city.
Seattle also bucks the national trend of residential dominance in LWP buildings. In this area, office spaces command 49% of mixed-use square footage and multi-family spaces are close behind at 47%.
The city saw a post-pandemic spike in mixed-use buildings: Three new properties opened in 2021, followed by four in 2022. However, that momentum faded in the next two years, before activity resumed in 2025.
A little more than half of Philadelphia’s mixed-use developments opened before the pandemic, reflecting early enthusiasm for the LWP model. Then, the trend continued post-2020 with five new developments completed and two more planned for 2026.
Philadelphia also has the third-largest share of office space in LWP developments, representing 43% of the total area. That said, residential still leads at 48% and retail accounts for the remaining 8%. And, while 82% of local LWP buildings carry Class A ratings, none currently house a coworking space, which is a notable gap.
With 11 LWP developments apiece, Atlanta and Philadelphia share their spot in the ranking. Unlike Philadelphia, Atlanta saw more of its mixed-use buildings open after the pandemic — six were completed since 2020 with two more on the way for 2026.
Given Atlanta’s status as one of the top U.S. coworking hubs, it’s surprising that only three mixed-use developments have flex offices. The most likely culprit is limited office space. Offices account for just 17% of total LWP square footage, whereas residential dominates at 74% and retail at 9%.
Columbus embraced the LWP movement early by opening seven mixed-use buildings between 2016 and 2020. But, activity slowed afterward with just three LWP buildings opening in the post-pandemic years and one more on track for 2026.
Despite Columbus’ many office-based industries and Class A ratings on more than half of its LWP buildings, none of these developments include coworking spaces. Otherwise, office areas account for 28% of total LWP square footage, which is almost the same as the national average.
In the last decade, Portland added 10 mixed-use developments to its urban fabric. First, six opened between 2016 and 2018, producing a spike followed by a two-year pause. Now, while LWP developments are still being built post-pandemic, in some years (like 2022 and 2024), the process halted completely.
That said, developers here have prioritized quality with 70% of LWP communities earning Class A grades. Yet, despite that quality and the remote worker base of more than 90,000, only one coworking space operates within Portland’s mixed-use buildings. In this case, limited office square footage may be the reason: Portland mirrors the national norm with residential units dominating and offices claiming just 32% of LWP space.
Nashville recorded nine LWP developments in the past 10 years. More precisely, two-thirds of these developments were added after the pandemic with 2025 seeing the highest increase in mixed-use developments (three). The uneven distribution can be attributed to the fact that, in the first three years of this 10-year interval, no such building was constructed.
Despite office space being toe to toe with the national average at 27% of total LWP square footage, coworking has taken hold in two of Nashville’s mixed-use buildings. Still, given the premium amenities enabled by the class A buildings and the significant number of remote workers in Nashville, it remains to be seen whether coworking could make its way into more local LWP developments.
Denver mirrors Nashville’s evolution with three LWP buildings in the 2016-to-2020 window and six more post-2020. That’s a pace of roughly one to two openings per year. One additional development is planned for 2027.
In the Mile High City, office areas cover 19% of total LWP square footage, which is well below the national 27% threshold. In this context, one coworking space operates across all nine LWP developments — an underperformance given Denver’s large remote worker community and its position as one of the country’s most active coworking markets.
Kansas City joined the live-work-play trend early, opening six LWP developments between 2016 and 2020 — making it one of the few cities where pre-pandemic growth outpaced post-pandemic activity. Since 2020, momentum has cooled and just two mixed-use buildings opened.
Coworking established itself in just one of Kansas City’s mixed-use buildings, likely due to a combination of its smaller share of remote workers and below-average distribution of office space (17%) within LWP buildings.
Cleveland developed eight LWP projects in 10 years, six of which opened prior to the pandemic, making the city an early bird to the LWP trend. Plus, two more are set to open in the coming years, reflecting continued interest in the model.
All eight buildings carry Grade A ratings, signaling contemporary design and premium amenities, such as integrated smart technology and advanced HVAC systems. Office space covers 31% of the total LWP square footage (above the national average) and two of these developments include flexible offices.
Austin also counts eight LWP developments, with six opening after 2020. What distinguishes the city is the quality of its developments. All of them carry A-class ratings, which aligns well with Austin’s booming tech scene, drawing in both startups and established players, like Apple.
Notably, the office footprint in Austin’s LWP buildings also reflects the city’s professional profile. While still following the national pattern broadly, the square footage dedicated to offices (33%) exceeds the national threshold (27%) with residential claiming the remaining 60%. Even so, just one coworking space operates across Austin’s LWP buildings, marking a surprising gap given the city’s remote worker density and mature coworking market.
The capital also counts seven live-work-play buildings completed in the past decade, putting it neck and neck with San Francisco. Although development arrived late here, it nevertheless found its rhythm with four buildings completed before 2020 and another three following in the post-pandemic years.
Office square footage ranks among the lowest in this study at just 16% of the total LWP area. In these conditions, there’s just one coworking space found across all eight buildings — a notable contrast with D.C.’s otherwise strong professional infrastructure.
Seven mixed-use developments rose in Fog City in the last decade. Although new construction has stalled since 2024, the existing portfolio of seven LWP projects is strong. Here, office space accounts for 34% of the total LWP area, making it the fourth-highest share in this study. And, with six flex spaces (the third-highest total), coworking has become a strong presence in LWP projects.
Construction activity did pick up right after 2020 with four new developments joining the existing three. But, that momentum subsequently stalled and no new LWP buildings have been started or announced since 2024.
Jersey City enters the ranking with six mixed-use developments, all of which opened after 2020. Moreover, development shows no signs of slowing down. Three more buildings are set to deliver in 2026, followed by one in 2027.
Despite office space covering just 9% of the total LWP square footage, coworking has taken root within these buildings. Namely, five flex offices now operate across Jersey City’s LWP developments — two more than in 2022. This growth tracks with the city’s broader coworking expansion and the sizable remote worker population across the greater New Jersey metro.
Live-work-play development got off to a slow start in the City of Angels with just one mixed-use project completed before 2020. Since then, the LWP movement has gained ground as five developments opened between 2021 and 2025. Given that most of Los Angeles’ LWP buildings are recent additions to the market, the across-the-board, A-class ratings come as little surprise.
Although LA is the biggest coworking market recorded in 2025’s last quarter, there’s just one flexible office space within the six live-work-play constructions.
With six mixed-use developments, Rochester is on a par with Jersey City and LA. The city stands apart from the national norm, leading all cities in office square footage share. Here, offices cover 51% of the LWP area and residential areas hold just 35%. Despite that abundance of office space, no coworking spaces currently operate in its LWP buildings, representing another gap in the market.
Here, development split evenly across the decade, with three buildings opening before 2020 and three after, separated by a pause that ran from 2019 to 2022.
Cincinnati is the third Ohio city to make the top, with five live-work-play developments. Most of these developments went up between 2016 and 2020, and just one opened post-pandemic, in 2025. Currently, no LWP development is in the works.
What stands out is Cincinnati having the fourth-highest retail distribution, at 11% of the square footage in LWP buildings. When it comes to residential and office areas, the city follows the national pattern — 61% of the LWP square footage goes to multifamily units, while 29% houses traditional office space, with the coworking element absent from these mixed-use developments.
Houston added five new mixed-use developments over the past decade. Among our top entries, Houston has the second-largest retail area in mixed-use buildings, with shops and stores accounting for 16% of total LWP square footage. The city’s mixed-use developments include no coworking spaces, but traditional office space covers 29% of total square footage, while 56% goes to multifamily units.
Three of the five developments went up between 2016 and 2020; the other two came after the pandemic. Currently, one development is in the works, scheduled to open in 2027.
Dallas, together with the previous two entries, rounds out our top, with five live-work-play developments constructed in the past decade. Construction peaked in 2024, when three new developments opened in the city. A plausible cause for the spike in LWP buildings is the increase in congestion levels between 2019 and 2023, combined with the growth of the remote workforce in the area.
The Class A rating across all five buildings, along with the high share of office square footage (31%), sets the stage for coworking expansion.
Methodology
- To compile this report, we extracted data from CommercialEdge and Yardi Matrix.
- We focused on mixed-use buildings where total space combines residential, office and retail areas.
- To trace the evolution of live-work-play developments across the country, we tracked construction activity from 2016 through the present day, including projects in the pipeline through 2029.
- We kept the main focus on developments built since 2016 and examined how the pandemic shaped this sector across the top U.S. cities by total LWP count.
- We also analyzed the number of coworking spaces within LWP developments to document the evolution of flexible workspaces.
- The ranking covers 21 cities, as opposed to 10, because several cities share the same number of LWP developments. Where a tie exists, the cities involved share a ranking position, rather than being assigned separate places.
