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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.