SARS and Its Implications for Economic Development

Fear is a destructive force in our world. People are afraid of the SARS virus. It is causing many people to avoid Toronto and other places across the world hardest hit by the virus. This is a very unfortunate situation indeed, especially at a time when every place on the planet needs an economic revival. SARS has caused most of us to be more cautious about where we go in the world. Asia is suffering the biggest impact in this regard.

Toronto has impressed me in many ways over the years. It is clearly a "world-class" city. How the city manages SARS will test the city's world-class image and abilities. If Toronto uses its world-class talents, it will survive this situation, and it will teach the rest of the world how to manage during a time of crisis. New York City taught us that in how it responded to 9/11. Oklahoma City managed its Federal Building bombing. Cities have coped with many types of crisis over the years and they have learned how to manage comeback victories. We must not lose our confidence and will.

What can we learn about how we managed AIDS and other diseases that will help us better manage SARS? We know that the medical experts must do what they can to understand and manage this disease--that is a foregone conclusion. Containment of the disease is easier said and done, especially in the highly connected world we live in today. Limiting exposure to SARS is logical. The question is how much limitation is needed. We need knowledge and understanding at a time like this. It is a disservice to all to "play with the facts." Times of crisis argue also for "common-sense"--that mysterious human ability that helps most of us do the right thing during difficult times.

SARS, like terrorism, war, and other external events, is having an impact on economic development activity in many places. Earlier ED Futures articles have addressed this issue. External events are having a much greater impact on economic development now, and they will be larger influences in the future. As we look forward, these issues suggest that we will need a new broader perspective of the world and more powerful planning and analysis tools to understand and respond to the risks posed by larger world events.

Our current model of economic development is very insular and fragmented. As economic developers, we shun the complexity of world society in favor of a simplified thinking and work model that is based on the simple idea of taking care of the homefront. Friends, this is not enough. In today's globally-connected world, it is no longer possible to run and hide from the world's complexity. The model of economic development must change. I have been arguing for sometime that we need more national and global partnerships to help local economies advance in our world today. The fragmented, isolated and disconnected model of practice that we have now is not going to work in the future.

Learn from SARS, terrorism, the War in Iraq, and the other leading influences that are defining the shape of our lives on a daily basis. This is evolution at work. Economic development must evolve to survive.