Camp Reality Check: How Public Events Keep Cities Resilient

This summer, I watched strangers become neighbors -- dancing at concerts, sharing umbrellas at rainy movie nights, and laughing as they kayaked along the Potomac. I planned over twenty-four events filled with evidence of a city that still wants to come together.

Photos: Sam Kitner, Aimee Curtis, Audi Field, Washington Capitals

As our nimble teams set up, I’d joke that it felt like we were running a citywide summer camp. And like any good camp, it was formative. These gatherings showed us what our neighborhoods are craving, what businesses need, and how much possibility lives here, even when the headlines suggest otherwise. Most of all, though, we built mostly free, accessible spaces where communities and businesses could breathe.

This year, planners of all kinds have navigated a year of abrupt shifts in vibes, funding, permitting, and everything in between. 

Also, to my surprise, climate change has already had an effect on what we host and when. The weather oscillated between extreme heat and rain, making it hard to predict if we should continue or cancel. Most of the time, we pushed forward, embracing our new “tropical” reality and proving that shared experiences matter more than perfect conditions.

Yet, this season highlighted real, mounting challenges unlike any before. 

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Right on the heels of Restaurant Week, DC became one of the first cities to see the National Guard occupy public spaces – targeting homeless encampments and “rising crime.” The effects were immediate: popular venues like Crush DC reported attendance drops of nearly 75%.

Layered on top of historically low August tourism, this moment underscored how fragile Downtown and small business recovery still feels post-COVID. 

“Tourism and hospitality are foundational to the District’s small-business ecosystem. In 2023, D.C. welcomed roughly 26–27 million visitors, generating $10–$11 billion in visitor spending — a vital revenue stream that fuels neighborhood restaurants, independent retailers, cultural venues, and personal services firms. Downtown recovery was already uneven before the takeover, with office attendance and retail vacancies still below 2019 levels. A prolonged perception of instability risks chilling near-term sales and future travel demand.”

Black Enterprise

Even with these challenges, small businesses are a critical part of our economic ecosystem, serving as vendors, employees, partners, and customers to one another. And public events help feed that ecosystem, bringing fun, energy, and people into spaces.

However, as people stay inside – with no clear exit plan for troops in sight – it may take new forms of collaboration to carry our favorite businesses, restaurants, and programs through the end of the year. 

So I've thought through a few initial strategies at each level: 

Despite the turbulence, this summer was a reminder of something simple: people want to be together. Our role is to keep designing spaces that make that possible.