Planning In A Pandemic: Lessons Learned

If there is one thing we’ve concluded in 2020, it’s that community planning is more important that even we had thought. COVID-19 has brought more uncertainly to an already uncertain world.  However, uncertainly is inherently part of planning. In fact, it’s a big part of why we plan. We don’t have a crystal ball. We don’t know what the future will bring. Planning by its definition is “making plans for something.” We might not know exactly what that “something” is but through process we help communities shape what they want that “something” to be.  

We’ve learned many valuable lessons over the last 10 months. Here are 5 to consider:     

1. Doing nothing is not an option. Shortly after COVID things shut down here in New York, we all thought waiting it out was the best course of action. We quickly learned that this was not going away anytime soon so we regrouped with our clients to develop a path forward to keep projects moving. In fact, we even started new projects. Sure, in part this was to maintain our livelihood but it was also because we realized that we needed to embrace the uncertainly. We are planners. It’s what we do. Now is the time to be prepared to make things happen rather than wait and see what will happen - to be proactive by doing our best to assess the situation, understand the data, and consider several scenarios. It’s called planning.
2. Virtual meetings, including public engagement, work. Because we work with people scattered around the Country, we were using Zoom prior to COVID so we were comfortable with virtual meetings. However, many of our clients and steering committees were not. Like most people, they got up to speed quickly. Although we miss the personal interaction we get from in-person meetings, we have found that using Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms make for shorter and direct meetings, increasing productivity. In addition, we’ve had better attendance and have reached a wider demographic with virtual open houses and other online public meetings than we did pre-COVID. We attribute this to the flexibility that online platforms offer versus trying to get a good cross-section of community members to show up for a Wednesday evening open house at the community center. We anticipate some virtual meetings to stick around post COVID.
3. Walkability and recreational opportunities are really important. We’ve always known that creating walkable communities and providing access to parks, trails and other outdoor recreational opportunities were important to a community’s quality of life. However, COVID has taken this awareness to a new level. People have been outdoors walking, biking, and hiking more than any other time we can remember. We believe this should be a wakeup call to those communities that do not adequately invest in these. You know who you are. :)
4. Municipalities need to invest in themselves. Prior to COVID most municipalities did not have the ability to function remotely. Many had and still have antiquated systems. Why? Because prior to COVID things worked. The lesson for all of us that technology will pass you by if you don’t invest in yourself. Cloud storage, video conferencing, digital data sharing, security, all need to be part of how our communities function. Whether it’s in your comprehensive plan, a strategic plan or a facilities plan, we need to have these discussions and plan accordingly. Let’s be resilient and sustainable.
5. Be ready because things will turn around. Prepare for when things turn around. They will. In light of COVID and your experiences throughout the pandemic, it’s time to confirm or re-envision your community. It’s time to have the zoning and land development regulations in place so that your community is ready when things completely re-open. It’s time to be proactive, not reactive. Define your “something.”