Issue #1 Will COVID-19 reset our cities ? 1/2
Beyond the speculations, what will stick as we recover.
As the world still endures the pain of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repetitive (yet necessary) lockdowns, travel restrictions and social distancing measures, we can’t help but wonder when this will end.
Despite the gloomy context, it seems we are in a better position to tackle the pandemic than one year ago, when the virus was still a newcomer. Think about the various vaccines currently being rolled out, the knowledge we have about the virus and its fast-spreading variants, the Standard Operating Procedures that have been introduced in many countries to monitor, trace, test and quarantine confirmed cases.
Humankind has globally adapted and there are multiple glimpses of hope.
Nevertheless, the journey towards “normalcy” seems never-ending. But how will this normalcy look like? And how will it translate into cities?
Cities around the world have born the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, as this graphic produced by the Financial Times COVID Tracker during the 1st wave of the pandemic suggests. Cities are both facing excess mortality and public health emergencies, while being on the frontline of the socio-economic crisis.
On emergency mode, cities around the world have responded through various instruments and measures, as compiled by the OECD in a study about cities policy responses in its member states.
Now that recovery can be something in sight, the need to discuss how to reset our urban models in the long term becomes more pressing.
🔟 Here are my first 10 lines of thought + 1 bonus, compiled from various readings and conversations, about the directions cities could take in the near future, largely inspired by this cool article (in French).
🚨 Spoiler Alert: it does not include the death of our cities and the triumph of remote work!
☀️ COVID-19 has demonstrated that exceptional measures and actions are possible, in exceptional times. The current climate emergency and biodiversity collapse precisely call for extraordinary actions and decisions. Never before has the shift towards climate-resilient urban strategies been so important. As many cities across the world pass stimulus packages that foster green recovery (see compilation here), how to lift the last barriers (whether political or financial) to urban resilience ?
♻️ As cities around the world explore new concepts to bounce back from the pandemic, two inspiring (and complementary) economic approaches gain more traction: Circular cities and Doughnut cities. Circular cities reduce waste, keeps good and their ingredients in use and regenerate natural systems, as described in this article . Doughnut cities take a higher stand and aim to strike a balance between sustainability, social justice and quality of life, as exemplified in the recent decision of Amsterdam to embrace the "doughnut" concept.
🏙 As we have seen, there is no direct link between urban morphology and the spread of the disease. During the early stage of the pandemic, many commentators quickly jumped to the conclusion that density was the culprit. Yet, now it is clear that density is not the problem but overcrowding is. Density, when carefully designed, can yield a lot of benefits. How to conceptualise a model of density that unleashes its potentials while ensuring citizens’ acceptance?
🚧 Many cities (and citizens) have started reclaiming back streets and public spaces. There are countless examples of cities around the world closing down street lanes for cars and opening them for cycling. Definitely a great move that the pandemic has allowed but let’s not forget that a fundamental re-evaluation of “who owns the city” might be needed to engrave these new patterns in the long run, as this article suggests.
🚘 With the boom of online orders and door-to-door deliveries during the various lockdowns, COVID-19 has demonstrated that the autonomous mobility revolution will be as much about goods than people. How to address the much needed revamp of our urban logistics models, at the digital and automated age? Cities worldwide are exploring. Check out the project Drive Sweden.
Flip to the next article to discover the next five!
Thank you Fabien for these inspiring insights ! From my point of view, the COVID-19 pandemic also emphasizes the role of cities as major places for social life, for creativity, for human interactions. This is a very basic observation, but it has been reactivated with the pandemic. In the countries that have been experiencing severe lockdowns, like France, many individuals have been suffering from social isolation. It should bring urban planners to (re)consider essential needs that cities should meet in terms of quality of life. These essential qualities are very hard to plan and organize, but they should definitely be (better) taken into consideration by urban planners and designers. Any insight about how to design vibrant, intense and joyful cities ?