Recent weeks witnessed the seating of a new prime minister in England (the third in as many months), an ownership change of Twitter followed by massive layoffs, and more recently announcements by Meta Inc. to cut 13% of its workforce and consolidate its real estate portfolio including a decision to sublease new office space in Austin rather than occupy it as planned. Oh yes, we also witnessed a mid-term election in the U.S. that proved inconclusive and will likely extend the outcome for which party controls the Senate until the December 6th runoff election in Georgia.
Amidst the continual turmoil, IDA members remain focused on longer-term city building needs. Public safety and curbing disruptive behavior, support for small businesses, including workforce development, and addressing severe housing shortages remain top issues for IDA members. At the same time, the future of office continues to unfold. These are the precise topics IDA will further research and advocate for throughout 2023 in Washington, DC and Ottawa. They are also the cornerstones of rebuilding more complete communities for tomorrow.
Next year IDA returns to a full complement of in-person and virtual conferences on a wide variety of topics. Our public policy efforts will be further elevated with Lobby Days schedule in both Washington, DC and Ottawa to extend the expert voice of urban place management professionals to our national leaders. Look at a synopsis of the recent election from Andrew Goldberg, IDA Government Relations lead.
No matter how you choose to engage with IDA, what is most important is strengthening our community through expanded relationships be it for achieving education, information or advocacy goals. We saw first-hand the value of our growing network in Vancouver during the Annual Conference & Marketplace. Harnessing the many new ideas and tapping into the new people who have joined the profession will ensure IDA – and each member – can rise above the uncertainty and focus on truly transformative change no matter who is in elected office or owns the next social media platform.