The pandemic helped us remember what’s truly important: life with other people.

The pandemic underscored the need to prioritize health while racial injustice and the ongoing threat of climate change in 2020 put a new spotlight on issues of equity and sustainability. All these challenges put a focus on people and their needs and expectations. That’s why people-first design is now the new currency in building communities.

Creating a built environment that motivates us to leave our homes requires a more holistic design approach focused on people’s experiences. Design must understand what drives behavior, promotes human interaction, and optimizes effectiveness.

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that we need in-person human interactions — both for our health and well-being, and for the economy. Coming back together is how we will emerge from the recession. This is why so many “back-to” plans revolve around this equation. How can we bring people back together safely and provide spaces that allow them to feel healthy, inclusive, and purposeful? The answer can be found through the power of design, and its ability to address the evolving human needs and expectations in a new world.