More outdoor recreation

One lasting effect of the impact will be that people have found the great outdoors, and they like it. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials say state park traffic is up as much as 100% at some state parks, and Lehigh Valley trail counters show that traffic reached its highest point ever in May — more than double the previous year’s counts along several sections of the D&L Trail.

One of the more important lessons of the pandemic is that everyone needs to prioritize personal and public health. People will continue focusing on health, and this is a positive outcome of the pandemic. It will be important for the Lehigh Valley, as a region, to invest in our parks and trails, as is recommended in the LVPC’s recently released Walk/ RollLV: Active Transportation Plan.

A robust trail, park and multimodal transportation network is not only good for the quality of life for the region’s 674,000 residents, but it makes the area a more attractive landing spot for new businesses and investors. Companies large and small, whether Amazon, Air Products or Genesis Bicycles, have come to realize their employees and the communities they live in demand it. There will be many more changes we can expect as a result of COVID-19, from a quicker race to a cashless society, to a reduction of office space needed as more people work from home. The LVPC will continue forecasting them.

One thing that will not change is that the Lehigh Valley will remain a great place to live, work and play no matter how long the pandemic lasts. The steps we’ve all taken in the past have secured that, and the steps we take now will ensure it continues.