Chris Hager, Senior Principal/Senior VP – LANGAN

How has your organization managed to adapt to the current environment over the past year and what lessons have you learned along the way?

Langan has always been committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment, but this commitment especially rang true during the pandemic. Over the past year, our work force was able to work 100% remotely, with the exception of field personnel. More recently, a floor plan for a socially distanced office has been implemented so employees can safely and gradually return to the office, if they desire. To make remote working as easy as possible for our staff, we have bolstered our technology capabilities and provided employees with a stipend to improve their home office so they can maintain productivity in a workable and comfortable environment. We believe that the office component is still critical for the future to support collaboration and employees’ mental health and well-being—as long as we can gather and work in a smart and safe way. The health and safety of our employees and their families is paramount.

I believe we are not living in reality right now — the future will be some version of “the way it was,” not a version of “the way it is.” I think the mid- and long-term effect is less than what people are envisioning. The hybrid working model is, hopefully, here to stay because if offers employees flexibility. We need to maintain that flexibility, embrace it, and be disciplined enough to make it work!

What observations do you have on how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered or will alter the real estate and land use industry?

We may see an increase in people moving to smaller, more affordable and less dense areas because many companies are offering permanent flexible work options. The need for more housing in those areas will be essential.

With more and more people embracing the outdoors, there is a greater need for new and improved parks, playgrounds and trails. These are some of the city’s most-used areas throughout the pandemic and there will surely be a need for upgrades.

Opportunity exists in every crisis. What do you think Philadelphia’s biggest opportunity will be coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many opportunities will exist in Philadelphia coming out of the pandemic, so it is difficult to choose just one.

With online shopping being the most popular online activity worldwide, we are seeing major growth in the e-commerce industry, hence the need for more fulfillment and distribution centers throughout the Philadelphia region.

With such a strong concentration of colleges, universities and renowned healthcare institutions in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, we are seeing a boom in the life-science industry, as well.

These two industries alone will help enhance our economy and create many new opportunities for employment.

Less commuting by car has already significantly reduced the carbon footprint in Philadelphia and in most other major cities nationwide and worldwide. This change is a benefit for our city. We should continue to stay on this path by making improvements to mass transit and by creating safer and more-accessible bike and walking paths for commuters.