These 10 cities seem most likely to avoid a commercial real estate bust and start moving toward recovery:
Portland, Ore. (12.8 percent, up 3.6 points). Portland’s unemployment rate has surged by nearly 7 percentage points over the past year, making it one of the highest in the nation. But local economists think that’s partly because people come to the region from more depressed areas, hoping to land a job in what has traditionally been one of the West Coast’s most vibrant economies. With dozens of businesses clustered around trendy sectors like clean technology, recycling, sustainable development, and eco-friendly manufacturing, Portland seems poised for a healthy rebound.
