Economic development professionals often spend significant time chasing growth: recruiting employers, attracting investment, securing grants, and competing for the next major project. Yet a question raised repeatedly during Cityscapes 2026 challenged a core assumption underlying much of that work: What if the real challenge isn't attracting wealth—but keeping it? 

Talk of artificial intelligence was everywhere at Cityscapes Summit 2026, even in sessions where it wasn't the topic on the agenda. Yet what stood out most was not technology itself. The deeper conversation was about power, participation, and preparedness.

At Cityscapes 2026, practitioners explored how communities can move beyond attracting investment to building the power and capacity needed to shape where capital flows and who benefits.