Downtowns

In the era of hybrid work culture, how do central business districts adapt? Downtown’s across the world are needing to change in the pandemic world. In the North American context, Downtown Vancouver is seen as a good mixed-use downtown where people can live, work and play; however, a study showed that 62% of Metro Vancouver home workers would likely leave their current job if their supervisor did not allow them to work from home as much as they wanted. What design changes are needed to our office spaces, buildings, and public spaces to draw people to business districts throughout the week?

By exploring the changing preferences of workers, we considered how to transform the design and function of spaces (both indoor and outdoor) to make downtown more attractive to the workforce and the wider community.

6 break out tables focused on the themes of office life, the 24-hour downtown, fashion and design, gathering spaces, all-ages and community and food culture.