Of course they will. There's more reasons to live in a city than just "it's close to work".

Also, there are plenty of people who work in the city who cannot work from home because their jobs require them to physically be present.

I think so. Some portion of the population likes the density and walkability of a city. If you take away a lot of commuting traffic, it's unlikely to get less liveable.

I co-own a small city office and we've always assumed redeveloping as three-storeys with residential above commercial would be our long-term plan. It's a short walk to dozens of restaurants/cafes/pubs, short walk to a chemist, small supermarket, florist, and so on. Two blocks from large parks and running/cycle tracks, etc.

The main benefits are human connections and walkability. There are lots of others from decent restaurants and bars, multiculturalism, decent shops, concerts, theatre, street events, quiet (yes! … see the good HN discussions about leafblowers, lawnmowers and suburban noise), carbon footprint, …

I’d expect people to still want to live in cities with a decent cultural offer. I’d be more worried about what will happen to places like the dormitory district that is London outside of zone 2. Why would one want to live in Brentford when they won’t need to catch a train to Waterloo every morning?

I think the better question becomes, will cities remain as attractive, without the daily worker demand creating more shops/restaurants/entertainment? If just the locals, will those places continue to exist and thrive as they did pre-COVOD?

WFH even if I stayed exactly where I am in a city is, for me, a strict upgrade, so I imagine yes. It also gives me the freedom to move anywhere I want in an entire city without having to worry about what that'll do to my work commute.

If it's affordable, yes. Generally speaking, the only thing that keeps me away from wanting to live in a major city is paying 3x the price, for 5x less space. Most other parts of city life can be nice.

Cities are also where most social gatherings happen, esp. for younger people.

If these unused offices could be better as apartments, i don't see a decline in how cities being a great place to be.