2023 Rebuilding PA Summit

Three years and counting into the pandemic, our priorities about what needs to be built where and for whom have continued their rapid transformation. Seemingly everything – from urban business hubs to transit, retail spaces to residential real estate – has been affected by the profound shift in how we live our lives now.

The Rebuilding PA Summit will explore how these changes have impacted the commonwealth’s tax bases, cities, suburbs and rural areas – and how they are affecting infrastructure plans across the board Each of our live panels will dig into a different aspect of our evolving landscape, from where we work and live now to what kind of short- and long-term changes are in the works.

10:00 AM	Doors Open + Check-in + Networking
10:45 AM	Welcome Remarks By Emcee
10:50 AM	Keynote Remarks By Mike B. Carroll, Acting Secretary of Transportation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11:00 AM	Panel 1: Rethinking the Changing Workplace and Urban Development The switch from in-person to virtual offices was already underway before the pandemic began, but it has dramatically accelerated since 2020. How has the virtual workplace impacted the state and local tax base, real estate values, and office space? What are we doing to address rural broadband needs, productivity measurement, and quality-of-life issues? Which industries are best suited for virtual work, and what are the downsides of a virtual workforce? We’ll talk about the pros and cons, our changing attitudes towards brick-and-mortar offices, and what this means for the future of working in Pennsylvania. Anthony H. Williams, State Senator of the 8th Senatorial District, Senate of PA
12:00 PM	Lunch + Networking
12:45 PM	Panel 2: Rethinking Pennsylvania’s Real Estate and Urban Development Landscape As pandemic-era workplace and retail shopping trend lines become established patterns, how are we rethinking plans for future real estate development? What will happen to the vacant office buildings and emptying shopping malls – and what does this changing calculus mean for urban dwellers and residential real estate developers? As the battle to entice workers who can live anywhere – and bring their tax revenue with them – continues, what will this mean for the future of commuter transit and dense urban housing – and will it supercharge shared workspaces, rural broadband availability, and more competitive tax rates? Nikil Saval, State Senator of the 1st Senatorial District, Senate of PA
1:45 PM	Break + Networking
2:00 PM	Panel 3: Rethinking Pennsylvania’s Aging Infrastructure As the landmark 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure makes painfully clear, Pennsylvania has one of the country's most at-risk infrastructures due to age, lack of attention, lack of appropriations and more. Collapsing bridges, bursting water mains, degraded waterways, outdated and inadequate transit systems: These are just a few of the challenges facing the people planning for the state's future. With an estimated $18 billion from the federal Build Back Better program set to be allocated to the state, what are the priorities for rebuilding? Which critical issues need to be addressed first? Who is best suited to make those repairs? Who will insure best practices?
3:00 PM	Summit Concludes