COVID-19:URBAN PLANNING AND ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE NEW NORMAL (original) (raw)

Cities across the globe are currently being tested to the extreme with the Covid-19 pandemic. It is impacting not only public health but also the economy and social fabric. Simultaneously a health crisis, social crisis, and economic crisis, Covid-19 is laying bare how well cities are planned and managed and the impact this is having on the extent to which each city is able to function-or not-especially during times of crisis. Covid-19 is a massive challenge for cities on the frontline, rich and poor alike. The measures taken to control the spread of the virus are having massive implications on cities due to their economic structure, their preparedness for such a crisis-especially the state of their public health and service delivery systems-and the extent to which their population's health and livelihoods are vulnerable, all of which are a function of the effectiveness of their urban governance systems. In normal times, there might be many attributes that cities strive to compete on and excel at the global level, including liveability, competitiveness, and sustainability, but in any given day and especially in a time of crisis, a city must function well for its citizens. Building cities that "work"-inclusive, healthy, resilient, and sustainable-requires intensive policy coordination and investment choices. National and local governments have an important role to play to take action now, to shape the future of their development, to create opportunities for all. The rapid spread of Covid-19 to almost every nation brings the recognition that we need to abandon the old, normal way of dealing with global crises. In the immediate term, we need to adopt a new (and better) normal to deal with the pandemic. And, looking ahead, we need to apply this 'new normal' in our approach to tackling the climate emergency-for our planetary crisis continues to escalate; the climate-related disasters causing death, disease and displacement are not taking a break simply because a global pandemic has taken hold. The quality of life that comes from density and sustainable mobility-the ability to reach essential destinations, to access opportunity, to enjoy the human benefits of community and the creativity generated by the many random chance encounters (call it the urban water cooler effect) that enable discovery and growth and personal enrichment-these have been temporarily taken away from us as we live our lives connected through the glare of computer screens. It will not always be this way, and we all hope sooner rather than later we will return to "normal." Let's act now to ensure that the new normal will be more sustainable, more resilient, more inclined to social cohesion. We should regroup, rethink, retool, and rebuild per our roles as urban planners and urban manager-as those whose job, and purpose, it is to spark joy by creating places people love…not just despite global crises, in spite of them. As the spread of Covid-19 has influenced individuals, communities, organisations and governments, its impacts will be on every level and scale from global networks and infrastructure to global cities and urban regions, and from residential neighbourhoods and public spaces to home and work environments, and will continue for many years to come.