"Big Ideas to Help NYC Thrive in the Post-Pandemic Economy"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Replay of the event
Event materials

New York City has bounced back from the depths of the pandemic, fully rebounding from the jobs lost since 2020 and emphatically repelling the threat of a “doom loop” scenario. But New York still has work to do to keep pace with a vastly changed post-pandemic landscape and reimagine key facets of the city’s economy at a time when hybrid work, e-commerce, climate change, an affordability crisis, and several other ongoing issues threaten to create long-term economic vulnerabilities.

This forum explored what’s needed to help New York stay ahead of these and other emerging challenges and build a stronger economy. Speakers put forward bold and creative ideas for strengthening the city’s commercial districts, sparking inclusive job growth in artificial intelligence and other emerging high-wage sectors, rethinking the public infrastructure needed to keep New York City competitive, and making the city more livable, sustainable, and affordable. We also sought out ideas from audience members.

Speakers included:

• Dan Garodnick, Chair, City Planning Commission; Director, NYC Department of City Planning
• Margaret Anadu, Senior Partner, The Vistria Group; Chair, NYCEDC
• Gregg Bishop, Executive Director, Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation's Social Justice Fund
• Jessica Lappin, President, Alliance for Downtown New York
• Tim Rowe, Founder & CEO, CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center)
• Ben Sun, Co-Founder and General Partner, Primary VC
• John Wang, Founder, Queens Night Market
• Claire Weisz, Principal-in-Charge, WXY

A video of the discussion is available here.

This symposium was made possible through generous support from the Fisher Brothers Foundation and Winston C. Fisher. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation, the Altman Foundation, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.