By Peter Madrid | MadridMedia

Sustainable solutions. Risks and vulnerabilities. An ever-evolving landscape. Social conscience. Leadership. Perseverance. Ingenuity. Resource resilience.

After two years of a global pandemic and now global strife, those words and phrases were especially apropos for ULI Arizona’s Trends Day 2022. The 17^th annual event returned to an in-person format at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa after going online in 2021 because of COVID-19.

To kick off the day, global futurist Jack Uldrich summed up the crisis in Ukraine.

“It’s been 30 years since I was with NATO. Back then the battlefield was geographical. The battle of the future is in the mind. Putin and his ilk know that. The only way to defeat America is to have Americans fight each other.”

Change is coming, Uldrich said. He added that “today is the slowest rate of change we will ever experience.”

5G convergence. 3D printers. Block chain. All will affect the business world not only globally but in Arizona as well, he said.

“AI can get us smart about water management,” he said. “As you create the future of Phoenix and the Valley, give yourself permission to be a bit unreasonable.”

The first of six panels addressed the worker shortage by identifying sustainable solutions. Daniel Barajas, District Deputy Chief Director for Workforce and Economic Development, Maricopa County Community Colleges District, emphasized the importance of community colleges.

“The community college system is part of the development conversation and the need for development to grow,” he said. “We are getting calls from TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) and Intel. They ask, ‘How can we partner with you?’”

The keynote address, “Into the Unknown – How Leadership, Ingenuity and Perseverance Put a Rover on Mars,” was a breathtaking presentation by Adam Steltzner, Leader and Chief Engineer, NASA Mars 2020 Mission, Rover Perseverance.

“We think we know what tomorrow holds for us,” Steltzner said. “The pandemic taught us we don’t know what the future will be like. Think of the names of the rover and robotic helicopter on the surface of Mars. Perseverance and Ingenuity. Both are great names for the times we went through the last two years.

“Perseverance and Ingenuity: the human attributes we learned to use, and lean into as we look to the future .. into the unknown. Why do we do this? Why do we do some of the things we do as humans? It’s because we’re curious.”

Spencer Levy, Global Chief Client Officer and Senior Economic Advisor, CBRE, and one of the most trusted names in the commercial real estate industry, wrapped up Trends Day with the annual economic outlook.

For the most part, Levy was optimistic about the future of the economy and specifically the future of commercial real estate.

His prediction was based on six key indicators: strong growth, low inflation and interest rates, office is evolving, industrial and multi-family are on cruise control, retail will surprise, and finally, don’t worry, be happy.

Mark your calendars for the 18^th Annual ULI Arizona Trends Day on March 10, 2023.