While industrial and multifamily sectors quickly soared after the onset of the pandemic, not all did. Office was hurt and is still limping. Certain types of retail held its own, like those anchored by a grocery store; many didn't.

But reports about the two different sectors come to the same conclusion: mixed-use may be a way for retail and office to help one another.

The two categories can have significant interaction. Reduce the presence of one and the other can suffer as well. "Before the pandemic, retail within urban office areas served as an easily accessible amenity to office employees—perfect for running errands and grabbing lunch with coworkers or a client—however, with physical office occupancy still well below the pre-pandemic baseline, urban retail locations continue to miss out on an important revenue stream," Peter Ferramosca, a consultant with CoStar Group, said in prepared remarks. "Our research has found that ongoing mixed-use development trends that create a 'live-work-play' environment could limit the negative effect of lower office usage on nearby retail and has the potential to offer outsized returns for investors."