Greener, Brighter and Healthier Cities in the Post COVID-19 Era

By: Angela Feng

From Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to New York, America’s most densely populated city, urban centers across the globe have become epicenters of COVID-19. As bustling cities hush, the difficulty of physical distancing within these dense agglomerations become more pronounced. The spread of COVID-19 brings new dimensions to questions surrounding every aspect of city life, particularly our relationship with city spaces, health and the environment. How can we effectively reduce the spread of disease in shared spaces across cities? How can we reduce infection risk on public transportation? How can we provide spaces of work and leisure within homes? These questions are at the root of some of the unprecedented challenges cities face while addressing COVID-19. They will also bring unprecedented change to city design in the post COVID-19 era as the amplified health impact of this virus within cities will positively reorientate our approach to planning cities. The most prominent issue raised by the need for physical distancing is the issue of space - there simply isn’t enough space in cities. Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s previous chief planner, highlights how this pandemic has revealed the disadvantage of cities dominated by spaces for cars and leave little room for people. City sidewalks are often not wide enough to provide the 2 meters of distance required between pedestrians. Luckily, COVID-19 has reduced car traffic and cities are converting spaces for cars into spaces for people. Oakland has closed 74 miles of roads to allow pedestrians and cyclists to access outdoor time while physical distancing. Bogota, Columbia has added 117 kilometers of temporary spaces for cycling and walking by closing car lanes. Toderian hopes that these creative ways cities are helping residents physically distance will create a new culture and skill set for cities in the future that prioritize space for people. Hopefully, post COVID-19 cities will include less car reliant transportation, which makes way for wider pedestrian walkways, bike lanes and therapeutic gardens in lieu of parking lots.

In addition to external city spaces, the lockdown has also raised new alternatives for designing our interior living spaces to prioritize physical and mental health. With COVID-19, city dwellers and planners have realised the need and possibility to build more breathable cities.

Toderian calls this “density done well,” while others refer to it as the “Healthy Building Movement.” A key component of this shift is to incorporate more opportunities to access nature through shared courtyards, communal gardens, rooftop terraces, greater natural lighting and usable balconies. Another is to implement the advanced ventilation technologies that have emerged due to the nature of COVID-19 spread as a standard healthy building tool. Examples include placement ventilation, in which cooler air lifts contaminants from below, clean air ventilation, which brings in fresh air rather than recirculating existing air and negative air pressure, which keeps pathogens from spreading to other parts of the building. Furthermore, Toderian predicts COVID-19 will usher in a new age of widespread remote working, which would make spaces for productivity, exercise, and even meditation within homes a standard. Regardless of the method, interior design will need to adapt to the redefined expectations people may have for their living spaces after spending months in quarantine. This pandemic has also led us to re-evaluate the self-sufficiency and resiliency of our cities by putting a spotlight on the interconnectedness of our global supply chains, particularly food. Although lockdown has not yet resulted in food scarcity in the Global North, COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of our systems and poses a very real threat to erode it. Science journalist, page 16

Sonia Shah, is one of many urging for localization and self-sufficiency to become pillars of city planning. Urban farming is a shift to localized, efficient production many cities are already pursuing. Sky Greens vertical farm in Singapore towers up to 9 meters tall, covers 3.65 hectares and grows a range of vegetables with minimal water, electricity and land. Furthermore, concepts such as the “20 minute neighbourhood” extends beyond merely food to aiming to provide citizens access to everything they might need, from everyday essentials to healthcare, within a 20 minute walk or bike ride of their homes. Melbourne, Australia has already incorporated the 20-minute neighbourhood in their 2017 - 2050 city plan, which aims to design smaller cities that are accessible for all ages, promote transit, cycling, walking and provide opportunities for recreational and healthy living locally. If successful, this will reduce Melbourne's daily greenhouse gas emissions by over 370,000 tonnes. There is no magic bullet solution to urban planning. Each city must plan according to their social, economic and geographic context. However, I believe that COVID - 19 urges us to reconsider where our priorities lay and rethink how we want our cities to serve them.