The Big Rethink – Work in Cities

May 1, 2020 — Events

The How, What, and Where of Work
May 12 | 9am PDT | 12pm EDT

In the context of COVID-19, the term ‘essential’ has gone beyond defining indispensable activities and labor during a time of crisis and entered the realm of Orwellian doublespeak. The pandemic has only accelerated a much larger conversation being led by market forces, the development and accessibility of technology, and other mega-trends about what is essential –and by definition, non-essential– about work in cities.

On this episode of The Big Rethink, we take a deep dive into the how, what, and where of the future of the urban workforce. We’ll discuss the dissonance in naming workers as essential whilst not providing protections or a living wage, why the Fourth Industrial Revolution requires skills-friendly cities, and whether the modern brick-and-mortar office will itself soon be deemed as non-essential.

Brought to you by:



Jamira Burley
Head of Youth Engagement & Skills, Global Business Coalition for Education
Munish Khetrapal
Chief Growth Officer for Global Public Sector, Cisco
Jan Simpson
President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Clive Wilkinson
President & Design Director, Clive Wilkinson Architects
Greg Lindsay
Director of Applied Research and Host, NewCities