The upcoming, record-setting, Annual Conference and Marketplace in Chicago has grown by over 130%. Even more exciting, conference attendees will meet peers and colleagues from across 62 different states, provinces and regions in 10 different countries. It will be incredible. We’ll be busting at the seams, but I am reminded of just how global place management has become.
This summer, the IDA ‘World Towns Leadership Summit took place in the UK with a smaller group of leaders from many countries. It was our first such gathering since before the pandemic, and as one might imagine, we explored how rebuilding challenges were both similar and different in varying locations.
We studied Central London’s entertainment district, explored the implications of the technology revolution in Manchester – home of the former industrial revolution- and witnessed the skillful balance of nurturing contemporary growth alongside preserving authentic cultural heritage in York – think Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. In all our discussion topics addressed the future of work, strategic potential for housing conversions, impacts of climate change, how the town of Ipswich is focused on it’s “connected (15 minute) city”, and we even debated how artificial intelligence (AI) may impact everything we do as place professionals.
These topics and more will remain the focus of our discussions in Chicago during the annual conference and the public policy work being pursued in both the US and Canada. While this kind of knowledge and information sharing occurs at all IDA gatherings, experience reminds me that ideas and best practices are no silver bullets or plug-and-play modules. While found in many places, great ideas and best practices are ultimately implemented in myriad ways based on the unique context of place.
We are increasingly seeing how over-generalized approaches can be misleading and why local context is so critical. Paul Levy, CEO of Center City Philadelphia recently illustrated how broad data applications can result in misinformation about downtown. In an upcoming blog post at the Brookings Institution, Dr. Tracy Loh describes how the lack of understanding of local context when using the University of Toronto’s downtown recovery ranking is potentially problematic if cities try to benchmark themselves against other places. We should learn from both examples how vital it remains for each mixed-use district or commercial neighborhood to become the data expert for their place and to use local data to drive decision-making or customized implementation of best practices.
Whether you come from the Heart of London Business Alliance who, just last week, asked IDA to suggest districts with advanced research and reporting or you are part of a small staff rural town management group, connecting with other IDA members for inspiration you can customize back home remains our community’s greatest strength. I hope to see you in Chicago, and if you aren’t able to make the journey, remember the IDA team is just a phone call away.