The impacts of economic, environmental, technological, and social trends on our urban areas have never been more acute. Real effects of climate change, the persistence of COVID-19, and rapidly evolving views on life and work are changing the density and shape of our cities.
On Friday, September 30, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce hosted more than 50 attendees, both online and in person, for a presentation on the progression and transformation of our cities.
Mark Miksis of deChase Miksis was the featured speaker, providing an overview of his company’s current development projects spanning Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, and incorporating an “Intermountain West Strategy” consisting of mixed-use development projects in outdoor lifestyle markets like Bend (Oregon), Boise (Idaho), and Spokane (Washington).
Through detailed accounts of his enterprises, Miksis provided keen insights on how communities are evolving to attract businesses and talent to their regions, with an eye to lifestyle trends brought on by the pandemic as well as other market forces.
“Understanding key driving forces of change helps us adapt, without fear, to new and emerging conditions and creates room for purposeful influence over outcomes.”
– Vonnie Mikkelsen, President and CEO, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Miksis began his presentation with a bit of information about himself – having been born and raised in Eugene, graduating from the University of Oregon, living and working in the Bay Area, and finally moving back to the Pacific Northwest and gathering more than 20 years of experience delivering high-efficiency developments that are user-driven.
After the presentation, there was an informative Q&A session, where program facilitator Rick Satre of The Satre Group facilitated a Q&A session from online and in-person attendees. At that point, the conversation around how urban areas are changing due to economic and environmental trends shifted to a more local viewpoint – specific ways in which Springfield measures up against urban areas of similar size, and what competitive advantages are available for our community.
Original source can be found here.
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