Not long after major sporting events drew massive crowds to downtown San Jose and San Francisco, a survey ranked the two cities near the bottom of a national list for vibrancy. Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are WATCH HERE WATCH HEREAccording to a 2025 survey of local residents by Gensler Research, San Jose ranked 29th out of 34 major cities in vibrancy, with San Francisco performing similarly poorly. On an average day, downtown San Jose can still feel quiet. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the city is turning a corner and learning lessons about how to consistently bring people back to the urban core. "I'd say maybe a big surf park right in the middle of downtown would be great," San Jose resident Melissa Hartman said.