Building Resiliency in a Recovery Strategy

by | May 1, 2020 | Uncategorized

Recovery = Restore + Resiliency + Renewal + Transformation
MAY 1, 2020 – SERIES 3 OF 6

A strategy for recovery must include resiliency as a component of the plan. Other components include Restore, Renewal and Transformation. 

Government and businesses are already planning what the new normal will be like post COVID-19. We have seen short term solutions to maintain social distancing by closing streets for walking, limiting passengers on public transportation, required masks for entering a grocery store…etc. Long-term, these solutions will be incorporated into public policy, community planning and building design. This creates opportunities to design new ecosystems resilient to future pandemic events. 

Shelter in place has proven that we can work remotely and be just as productive, if not more than before. Those businesses reluctant to changing before the pandemic crisis will change their business models to be competitive moving forward. Therein lies the opportunity for economic developers to incorporate resiliency in the plans for success. 

A community that provides more opportunities to mitigate risk of future disruption from COVID-19 or future epidemics and pandemics. This resiliency could be a competitive advantage in creating new jobs and attracting private capital. 

It will take leadership and creative thinking to design recovery plans that incorporate resiliency tactics in the plan. Sometimes this adds time on the frontend but will provide greater long-term benefit. I am reminded of the vision our board chair and former Mississippi Governor, Haley Barbour, said to coast leaders following Katrina, “We will have failed if we build back exactly like it was prior to the storm. It is a chance to build back better and stronger than before.”

Here are a few articles on resiliency planning:

Gray Swoope
President & CEO
VisionFirst Advisors