The Greater Downtown Dayton Plan was launched in 2010 and has been the strategic blueprint for downtown development. As we look to the future, Plan leaders recognized how the pandemic created near-term and long-term challenges and opportunities for our city. This spring, an effort was launched with public and private leaders to create the Rediscover Downtown Dayton Action Plan, with the goal of identifying short-term and long-term recommendations and setting a vision for downtown’s recovery following the pandemic.
More than 21,000 employees are based in downtown Dayton and the absence of office workers continues to impact weekday vibrancy. Employers are beginning to come back to their downtown offices, but the bulk of employees won’t return until the fall. The future of the office is hybrid, but almost 90% of our employers say their workforce will spend more time in the office versus working remotely. The pandemic has proven your desk can be anywhere, so commercial office space must provide other intangibles to justify the cost to the company. With the renewed focus on company culture and teambuilding, the walkable, amenity-rich environment of downtown Dayton could be poised for commercial office growth in the post-pandemic world.
The pandemic has fundamentally changed how companies think about their office spaces. Surveys and conversations with downtown employers reveal that hybrid work is the new standard. Almost all employers report that they will be coming back to the office, but with a lot more flexibility for remote work. Fortunately, this is likely to have only a minor impact on downtown office leasing – most do not expect changes to their offices, and only a small fraction (17%) say they expect to reduce their office footprint. Employers report that face to face interactions are vital, but also believe they must offer remote work flexibility to retain and recruit top talent.
While employers have realized their employees can be productive while working remotely, most know their company culture and sense of team has atrophied over the past year. If team members are only together a few days per week, using that precious time to collaborate and build culture will be critical. The pandemic has proven your desk and computer can be anywhere, so commercial office space must provide other intangibles to justify the cost to the company. The walkable, amenity rich environment of downtown Dayton could be poised for commercial office growth in the post pandemic world.
Socializing with coworkers has never been more complex, or more needed. Downtown stakeholders should connect employers to opportunities to gather outside – through regular events like… happy hour, and by providing more opportunities for outdoor work and office gatherings. Creat[ing] outdoor workspaces: engag[ing] the large employers and public agencies to build outdoor meeting spaces and solitary work environments by providing seating and high speed internet access.
Analysis
This is one of the best articles that will help give direction to the project, as it directly addresses the Dayton space, the stakeholders in question and how the post-pandemic community will likely use the site. The action plan was made by community members who have the city’s best interests at heart and know how the area was used before 2020. Being able to summarize the goals of the action plan will help create a space that is uniquely tailored for Dayton; this plan also delves deeply into the way that the corporate system will most likely function post-covid. Working remotely or hybrid seems to be highly likely, considering we’ve learned how easy it is to do work out of the office. On the other hand, creating a space for co-workers or clients to develop professional relationships and company culture is extremely important, after a long time with no physical connections being built. This article is going to have a heaving hand in guiding the creation of a productive space for the professionals of the neighborhoods of Downtown Dayton.
