Is there a way to have ArcMap auto redraw/refresh the map and/or a specific layer without having to pan/zoom/manually refresh?
you have this posted in ArcGIS Pro, but mention ArcMap...
For Pro since version 2.0
http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/whats-new-in-arcgis-pro-2-0.htm
You can refresh the view or cancel the drawing process by clicking the Refresh button at the lower right of the view.You can now configure a layer with continuously updating content to automatically refresh its display at a regular intervals.
Not sure if it works, but just did a quick Google search -
Implementation of an ArcMap Auto-Refresh Function
you have this posted in ArcGIS Pro, but mention ArcMap...
For Pro since version 2.0
http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/whats-new-in-arcgis-pro-2-0.htm