Mansion Global Brooklyn has been stronger than Manhattan, according to UrbanDigs By V.L. Hendrickson | Save Brooklyn had a stronger year than Manhattan in 2020, as people look for more space.. Pixabay Brooklyn was king in 2020 as New Yorkers looking for more space crossed over from Manhattan to the outer borough, according to a year-end report released Wednesday from UrbanDigs, which provides market data on the city. “If there was an exodus from Manhattan, it was across the Brooklyn Bridge,” John Walkup, co-founder and COO of UrbanDigs, said in the report. Indeed, the number of signed contracts in Brooklyn as of Dec. 22 was up 46.2% year-over-year, according to UrbanDigs’ data. The borough saw positive growth starting in August, when deals were 56% higher than the same time the previous year, partially due to pent-up demand after the economic shutdown caused by concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.