NEW YORK CITY-At the International Council of Shopping Centers’ New York conference Wednesday, the general consensus was that the picture for retail is much improved, though there are still challenges ahead.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who spoke to open the conference, told attendees that “the New York recession hit New York hard,” but that “by keeping our financial house in order and by continuing to improve and invest” in areas like quality of life, the city has thrived.

“New York City has had a far more robust recovery than the nation as a whole and regained two thirds of the jobs lost during the recession, while the rest of the nation has only regained about a third,” Bloomberg said. “Our commercial real estate market is the strongest in the nation and people are clearly confident about New York’s future.”