The experience of COVID-19 will be enduring and has marked our memories as both professionals and people for many years to come. Against the backdrop of working hard for our clients is a moment of contemplation as we globally and collectively think about what next... How will we plan our cities and neighbourhoods in the future to think about resilience in a new way and importantly place social value and inclusive growth at the heart of our work?
This virus knows no bounds and right now, feels relentless. Yet the resolve of communities and businesses has been quite incredible and the notion of the world all battling the same silent enemy, is in some ways, quite remarkable. What is clear, once we are through this, is that the impact will be markedly different for different demographic groups and different locations. We will need to use data in new ways to understand scenarios, impact and mitigation, assessing patterns of decline and indeed what the opportunities are to move to economic recovery.
In future, social value should no longer be a ‘tag on’ to projects or a ‘nice to have’ but must be front and centre in how we shape a better world. We have the metrics to understand what good and imbedded social value principles can do. Next, we need to think about leading with social value outcomes right at the front of a project, just as it is conceived. Let’s not just leave it to a piece of evaluation at the end.
No place or person left behind, this is how we can shape a better world.
Read more of our thoughts on planning for a post-pandemic world