News from the Top

New News for a New Year

DAVID T. DOWNEY, CAE, ASSOC. AIA
PRESIDENT & CEO, IDA

January 7, 2021

Welcome to an updated edition of the Inspired by IDA e-newsletter. We’re continuing with the best from our past and infusing new sources with a new approach to tailoring our weekly edition to each member’s individual needs. Our overall goal remains the same: to synthesize the must-know city building information in one place to save you time on the most pressing matters – like economic recovery! 

Recovery will certainly be the theme for 2021. This Friday’s Advancing Places webinar gets us started with the latest research on the future of work and the office. The dynamics of space and place for office workers will shift in part because of our newly acquired work-from-home expertise. But as we’ll hear from the experts, a new office ecosystem will be needed moving forward. People will remain the principal resource for the success of knowledge-based businesses and the need for offices will remain essential for connection, collaboration, innovation and career development.

The road to recovery presents a new and inherent challenge: a perspective of time. These last nine months have been adrenaline fueled by the urgent, whereas recovery efforts require a multi-year sustained focus on the strategic. Consider, for instance, the Great Recession that lasted for 18 months. It took, however, roughly six to seven years for the economy to fully recover. The rebuilding stimulus and recovery development were still taking place on the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast during the recession in 2008 and 2009, some three to four years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 25, 2005. Patience and a sustained vision will be paramount for this year and next. 

The good news is I cannot think of a better prepared, nor better positioned, group of professional city builders at the ready to overcome this next challenge. You have been the visionaries who maintained long term goals for building vital urban centers and commercial neighborhoods. You are the innovative place managers deploying thoughtful strategies in an ever-evolving public realm. You are the guardians of creating more inclusive communities and, as demonstrated through the decades, you will remain ever vigilant in your focus to deliver great places for people to live, love and thrive.  

You got this! And the IDA community of professionals will be here to support your work every step of the way. I hope you enjoy the new format of Inspired by IDA.