Getting Urban Economies Back up and Running After Covid-19 a Ten-Point Action Plan for Economic Development
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Getting Urban Economies Back Up and Running after Covid-19 A Ten-Point Action Plan for Economic Development RICHARD FLORIDA School of Cities University of Toronto STEVEN PEDIGO Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs University of Texas at Austin Getting Urban Economies Back Up and Running after Covid-19 A Ten-Point Action Plan for Economic Development As the dreaded Coronavirus rips across the to get their communities ready and globe, city after city has locked down, prepared safely and securely. transforming urban business centers and suburban malls alike into veritable ghost To help with this mobilization process, we towns. Our cities can’t stay in lockdown have developed a 10-point plan, based on indefinitely. The economic costs - never detailed tracking of the current pandemic mind the toll on our society and our mental and historical accounts of past pandemics, health - is just too devastating. and conversations with city leaders, health care professionals and economic developers But the reality is we can’t just hit a reset across the country. button and revert to how things were before. This pandemic, like all great 1. Assess Leading Industries and pandemics, will not end quickly. It threatens Clusters: It’s not just individual firms to reappear in subsequent waves over the but clusters of industry and talent next year to eighteen months, until we find that drive economic development. a vaccine or develop herd immunity. The Some of those clusters are at greater historical record shows that the cities that risk than others. Sectors such as enforced this kind of social distancing most transportation, travel and hospitality, aggressively in 1918 experienced far fewer and the creative arts will be hit the cases and had far fewer deaths. Social and hardest, while sectors such as e- physical distancing can work to flatten the commerce/distribution, advanced curve of the first wave, which will hopefully manufacturing for healthcare, food end in a couple of months, maybe less. processing and distribution, may Subsequent waves and flare-ups may grow. Economic development continue into and beyond next year’s flu organizations must assess the season, until we develop a vaccine or industries and clusters that are most develop the herd immunity required to fight vulnerable in the short to medium off this virus. run, evaluate the impacts this will have for their labor markets and Even as cities focus on a full-out communities, and plan accordingly mobilization of required health and medical to make their economies more resources to cope with the first phase of this resilient and robust. pandemic, it is important that economic developers mobilize all available resources • Create a working group or SWAT team, including economic 2 development leaders, business Economic developers need to be representatives and academics thinking about and planning for how and other experts, to work with universities and colleges can re-open clusters to identify critical “pain safely and function in the interim points”, supply chain needs, period. One can imagine that workforce issues and capital universities and colleges may be gaps, and connecting them with forced to switch to on-line learning appropriate resources. for a longer period. With their • Develop an immediate cluster dormitories, dining halls, and large assessment plan, informed by classrooms, they are highly survey data, roundtable vulnerable to the secondary waves of discussions and other data contagion. The key issue is how can sources, for the industries and we prepare them to open safely? clusters. Engaging key partners This will require a range of redesigns and understanding immediate and retrofits, including temperature gaps will be essential work for checks and health screenings and the first 30 days of recovery. redesign of dorms, dining halls, • Identify and create appropriate classrooms and other infrastructure support programs for each to ensure adequate social distancing. cluster and initiative, realizing University researchers can also be that these will differ depending enlisted to track local economies on the cluster. A one-size fits-all and help design the needed retrofits. approach will not yield effective results. • Work with state, federal, and • Reorient staffing resources to military officials to review and support direct cluster outreach. develop plans for converting EDOs should have a single-point university facilities to assist with person or lead for each cluster. the current health crisis. • Convene university and anchor 2. Enlist and Ready Anchor Institutions: representatives to develop an Medical centers and hospitals are on action plan for reopening their the front lines of the battle against facilities safely for on-campus COVID-19, and many are already research, in person course overtaxed. In the current instruction and on campus living. mobilization, universities and • Engage local anchor institutions colleges are being called upon to to boost local purchasing, to dedicate their dormitories to house limit unemployment and layoffs, medical professionals or even to and to eventually boost local serve as temporary hospitals and employment hiring, to mitigate clinics. Together, these eds and economic impacts of the crisis. meds are key anchor institutions that drive local economies, as innovation 3. Pandemic-proof Airports: Airports engines, as large employers and are a critical component of regional through their local purchasing. economies. They connect places to 2 the domestic and global economies; including use of masks and they move people, good and ideas; gloves. are key elements of regional logistics • Evaluate policies for handling of and distributions systems; are key baggage, security checks, drivers of regional economic growth boarding and on-ground and development, and are large local transportation (public transit and regional employers. They cannot access, passenger pick-up, ride- be idled indefinitely. It is critical they sharing). are up and running again as quickly as is feasible. To do so will require a 4. Prepare Large-Scale Civic Assets: mobilization effort like that of the Urban centers are also home to terrorist attacks of 9-11 economic other forms of large-scale development. That will likely entail infrastructure: stadiums, arenas, adding temperature checks and convention centers, performing arts necessary health screenings to the centers, and the like. Many security measures already in place. It communities have made extensive also means thinking about how to public investments in them. Because reduce crowding and design for they bring together large groups of social and physical distancing. This people, city leaders must pandemic- can be simple things like stanchions proof these assets as much as or painted lines on floors, check-in possible, too. Audience sizes may areas, TSA screening lines, baggage need to be reduced in theaters, with areas, pickup and drop-off areas, seats left open. Masks may need to and redesigning seating be required and made available to arrangements in waiting areas and patrons as needed, and temperature restaurants to ensure adequate checks carried out. This will be physical distancing. It may also mean critical for communities that are making personal protective gear like dependent on such attractions. The masks and other items available to sooner such large-scale civic airport personnel and ensuring that infrastructure can be safely hand sanitizer is available. reopened, the faster our urban economies will be able to rebound in • Partner with local airport the aftermath of a pandemic. authority officials to develop an action plan for redesigning • Create a taskforce to ready airports for necessary social regional civic assets for the distancing (adequate spacing for transition period. waiting areas, check-in lobbies, • Bring together local economic and security lines) and health development and destination and temperature screenings. marketing organizations to • Engage medical professionals to develop a public awareness develop protocols for wellness campaign about safety and health checks and procedures and the reopening of appropriate safety measures, assets. 3 • Consider combining EDOs and commuter rail, and stations as DMOs to support community required. placemaking efforts, in a time • Create a working group to focus when there’s dire budget and stimulus dollars on required fiscal constraints. retrofits and redesigns. • Address open space retrofits and 5. Prepare and Modify Vital redesigns and ensure required Infrastructure: As we’ve seen during sanitation and cleaning. the first phase of the COVID-19 • Focus place-making initiatives crisis, buses, subways, and trains for health and safety. need emergency infusions of cash to Pedestrianizing downtown areas keep the systems solvent when and neighborhoods, including ridership is low or nonexistent. When opening streets for walking, they are back in service, design limiting vehicle traffic and changes in stations and seating will widening of sidewalks. be needed to prevent the spread of • Partner with providers to infectious diseases. Streets may need increase bike and scooter shares some retrofits too. New York as needed. Governor Andrew Cuomo has called for pedestrianizing some New York 6. Prepare for More Remote Work: We City streets to promote social are in the midst of a massive distancing during COVID-19. Some experiment in remote work. Most of these changes should be people will eventually go back to permanent. Cities need to expand their