by Bill Fontana
So, here we are. A pandemic that had/has effectively closed many of our towns for months. Three weeks of public protest that, while incredibly important to the future of this country, have further exacerbated the economic issues we are dealing with from the pandemic. Then there is the uncertainty about the return of pandemic in the Fall/Winter. And, oh yeah, you may have heard that there is an election in November.
How many times over the last few months have you heard any/many/all advertisements say “These are unprecedented times.” I have been doing this work since 1979. In all of my “work years,” I do not remember a time when so many potentially culture-changing issues have been before us as a nation at one time. But I am old enough to remember how the Vietnam War protests and the “race riots” of the 1960’s were going to change the culture forever. I remember how in grade school we used to literally have “duck and cover” drills to deal with the nuclear holocaust that was on our doorstep. I remember lining up to take the Jonas Salk oral polio vaccine and reading about young people who were put in iron-lungs to deal with the scourge of that disease. Some events change the culture during their time, but some do not.
Many of the revitalization organizations that we both partner and work with have been using the terms recovery and resiliency to describe the efforts that we should all be about at this time. Count PDC in that mix with our Recovery and Resiliency Task Force. The discussions about changing the way we use public space, the recovery – or potential lack thereof – of the commercial office market, the impact of re-imagining police departments and that issue’s impact on our efforts, the much needed social equity issues that MUST be addressed, the ease with which many of us have been able to telecommute, and the dramatic increase in on-line retailing and “on-line dining,” ALL have the potential to dramatically impact the work we do every day. How will all of this play out?
So here is my answer. I really have no idea. Are these in fact culture-changing events, or are they, like so many other “culture-changing events” we have witnessed in the past, a temporary blip on the radar screen of history. I will remind everyone that the definition of “resiliency” is the “ability of a substance or object to spring BACK into shape (emphasis added by me).” I certainly hope that in some respects – social equity, public safety reform and civil public discourse, that we are not springing back but moving FORWARD to a better, more just, more equitable country. With respect to other matters – use of public space, our willingness to cocoon in our homes, our decided shift to on-line everything, and more – I am much less clear about the future.
But, here is what I do know. I know I need to pay attention, to read, and to LISTEN. The next few years will be full of analysis, of proposals for new ways to implement revitalization efforts, of opportunities to create new partnerships. The fiscal impact of the last several months have yet to be felt. The way we conduct our business, the way we fund our programs, the willingness of people to volunteer, all of these things and more, are still unanswered questions. If you are sitting back and waiting for things to get back to normal, you may well find yourself as a community leader, and your organization, in a place where you, and it, cannot adapt quickly enough to the changes – if they occur.
There has never been a time when strategic planning, informed by strategic listening, has been more important.
Understanding the data, listening to the experts in the field of community revitalization, becoming a member of the National Main Street Center (if you aren’t already) subscribing to important revitalization and non-profit publications like the American Planning Association’s Planning Journal and/or the Stanford Social Innovation Review, to name just a few, attending not just immediate-need, but long-term trend, webinars will all be critical. I recently attended a webinar where a participant from a regional philanthropic organization predicted many small non-profit failures for those who fail to listen, learn and adapt.
And if some of the changes are not as earth-shattering as predicted, and we do return to some semblance of the old normal, you and your organization will have acquired new knowledge, new skills and new perspectives on the field of community revitalization.
I hope you are all staying safe and I hope that we have weathered the worst of the storm. Now is the time for you and your organization take the time to listen, to learn and to plan.