HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/3/2022 DMCC Collaborative Session - Presentation (Fisher)DMC Corp. Board of Directors,
Rochester City Council,
Olmsted County Board of Commissioners.
Joint meeting, Feb. 3, 2022
Thomas Fisher
Professor, University of Minnesota
Director, Minnesota Design Center
Board Member, DMCC/EDA
Pandemics:
1. Accelerate us into the future and magnify trends
2. Reveal inequities and dysfunctions in existing systems
3. Bring renewed attention to public & personal health
3. Create opportunities for those who grasp the change
The 19th Century Cholera Pandemic revealed the overcrowding
and poor infrastructure of growing cities,
which led to the rise of public parks, water utilities, sanitary sewer
systems, and indoor plumbing requirements.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic prompted a demand for social
distancing, single-family housing, and private automobiles,
which led to a demand for single-use zoning, side-yard
setbacks, and automobile-oriented infrastructure.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has reset the digital and physical worlds,
revealed inequities, and elevated health as a key issue.
This has revealed digital and health inequities: Helping all access
technology and healthcare is the great challenge we all face.
Rochester, as America’s City for Health, has perhaps the greatest
opportunity of any city in the post-pandemic era.
Why? Innovation around physical and mental, social and cultural
health, environmental and economic health will define this era.
Health is reshaping how we live: consumers are now sources
of information in helping make better places.
Health is changing how we work: co-working spaces are now
curating remote and in -person collaborations.
Health is altering how we access goods: customers are increasingly
viewed as co-creators in the development of better products.
Health is transforming how we learn: hybrid education increases
flexibility and accommodates diverse needs and learning styles.
Health is reframing innovation: a healthy mix of disciplines and
perspectives improves the chances of breakthroughs.
Health is a factor in our public realm: every public investment
now needs to account for its impact on our health.
Health is driving our transportation systems: improving physical
activity and reducing environmental impacts are now key.
Health is helping us reimagine cities: about
how to lead better, healthier lives -wherever that might be.
The more Rochester can build on its brand, the more it will become
not just a destination for health, but a destination city without peer.