Now that the great work-from-home experiment has made tools like Zoom and Slack commonplace, what will it take to lure people back into offices and public spaces?
Macro trend are accelerating
The last couple of months have felt like a time warp. The high-speed nature of global events has left us in a new reality. Zoom and Slack have replaced face-to-face meetings; our homes have had to accommodate spaces for our professional lives. The boundaries between how we live, work, play and move are not just blurred – they’re non-existent.
Now that the conversation has shifted towards reopening public spaces, what will it take to lure us out of our home offices once it’s safe to do so?
One thing is clear: in isolation, we are craving connection like never before. That need for connection will position experience-centric, community-focused properties, with their ability to deliver not just square footage, but meaningful engagement, ahead of the competition.
Forward-thinking developers, who realized the need for destinations that combine office, retail, residential and public space, had already started delivering on integrated experiences. March and White Design (MAWD) believes this model – projects that provide authentic, cross-generational appeal across multiple sectors – will be the key to success, particularly in the new reality.
“The boundaries between how we live, work, play and move are not just blurred – they’re non-existent.”

New projects can set the pace
