COVID-19 and the Built Environment: A Turning Point

Covid-19 and the Built Environment -A Turning Point-

Source: Celia Mendoza / VOA

Authors Blanchard Fagan - blanchardf97@ufl.edu Chapter 1 - Cultural Impact of COVID-19

Kaci Seitzinger - kseitzinger@ufl.edu Chapter 2 - Grounding Social Vulnerability with COVID-19 Chapter 6 - Architectural Proposals Responding to COVID-19

Daniel Farji - dfarji16@ufl.edu Chapter 3 - COVID-19 and Urbanism

Erin Keating - ekeating@ufl.edu Chapter 4 - COVID-19 and Inequitable Housing

Daniela Gomez - danielagomez@ufl.edu Chapter 5 - COVID-19 and Public Spaces

Professor: Martha Kohen - mkohen@ufl.edu Class: ARC6911- Crisis, Vulnerability, and Design Graduate Research

Topic Correlations

Introduction Within the framework of a Graduate Seminar course at the School of Architecture, University of Florida, Students and Professor engaged in a research itinerary that explored the different aspects of incidence between the Pandemic and its physical interphases. The initial goal is to analyze available and recurring data from multiple official sources, public, governmental at different levels as well as from NGOs, press and academia, to establish meaningful correlations, capable of identifying and suggesting planning outcomes, policies and design strategies to address the mitigation of the perceived long term incidence of this and similar occurrences.

We associate social vulnerabilities and urban risks with four main interconnected factors: ● ● ● ●

Climate Change (and associated sea level rise, floods, draughts and heat waves, high winds) Pandemic incidence and health conditions Critical Economic and environmental conditions Racial inequities

Racial inequities have led to economic vulnerabilities and environmental degradation, to the effect of the localization of settlements in vulnerable areas, easily targeted by Climate change conditions. Other factors intervene in this formulation, but the data is not currently as systematically assembled, to be able to establish the correlations between them. It is a hypothesis of this research that the current collection of the COVID 19 incidence data, can act as a marker of the other three conditions, even if not an exclusive marker. Our challenge is to try to establish links and connections between the risk factors and the Built environment conditions and derive strategic directions for recommendations on design.

The scales of the analysis will encompass the range of situations, from the urban level (public space, transportation, work, education, consumption and assembly), to the neighborhood level (densities, health services and infrastructure, collective assets) to the building level (inequitable housing, overcrowding, collective living).

The preliminary conclusions of this double convergence approach will identify the occurrence of hotspots for primary focus in addressing the Pandemic mitigation and generate associations between the components that can better limit its incidence. These associations will directly inform design decisions at all levels of the spectrum, from urban to building scalar span.The selection of the chosen categories is understood as a web of interrelated interactions, that connect, reinforce the incidence, as well as mirror the mitigation possibilities.

-Martha Kohen

1

Culture

2 Social Vulnerability 3 Housing 4 Urbanism 5 Public Spaces 6 Proposals 7

Conclusions

1

Culture Presented by: Blanchard Fagan

Culture: Social Practices Culture: Social Practices

SOURCE: THE LANCET

Culture: Social Practices

● ● ● ●

Place of Worship Museums Concerts Sports

Source:Sam Carp

Culture: Social Practices

Source: Los Angeles Times

Culture: Values & Beliefs ●

Individualistic Culture ○ ○ ○ ○

●

Self-Sufficiency Autonomy Independence Individual Pursuits

Collectivistic Culture ○ ○ ○ ○

Selflessness/Community First Support of Others Best for Society Common Goals

Source: CDC

Culture: Rural vs Urban Context ●

Urban Context ○ ○ ○ ○

●

Density vs Overcrowding Access to healthcare amenities Public Transit Vulnerable populations

Rural Context ○ ○ ○ ○

Suburban sprawl Less healthcare facilities Vulnerable populations Overcrowded facilities

Source: Journal of Rural Health

Culture: Rural vs Urban Context -

Rural areas stand out in a county-level assessment of major risk factors for COVID-19. The vulnerabilities measured include the population's density, age and health status, and presence of nursing and elder care facilities, meatpacking plants and group facilities such as prisons.

-

The gray areas indicate little to no vulnerabilities of the specific factors measured and the dark red areas indicate the highest vulnerability based on those factors.

Source: Journal of Rural Health

Culture: Rural vs Urban Context

-

COVID cases in rural, non-metro areas have steadily increased over the last few months and now are observed to have the most cases while they are the most at-risk In some communities, the resumption of small-town activities, such as school, church and sports events, has led to more infections.

Culture: Policy -

Six measures to reduce community COVID spread through social distancing practices such as isolating ill people, tracing contacts, quarantine of exposed persons, school dismissals or closures, changes in the workplace, and avoiding crowds and restricting movement.

Source: CDC / The Economist

Culture: Policy -

Policies such as mask mandates have been linked to a decline of infection rates

Source: Health Affairs

2

Social Vulnerability Presented by: Kaci Seitzinger

Social Vulnerability: Case Study of NYC ●

Those living in poorer neighborhoods are at elevated risk, as in the case of New York City.

Source: Map prepared by the NYC Department of Health

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Income in NYC

Source: Time

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: Time

Source: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the wealthiest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: Time

Source: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of the poorest zip code in NYC

Source: United States Zip Codes

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity ●

Black Americans are more likely to live in poverty and suffer the chronic health conditions associated with it, making them most likely to have medical conditions that are risk factors.

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2015; American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau, 2014

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity

Source: CDC

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Age ●

Among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Age

Source: CDC

Social Vulnerability: Demographics Demographics of COVID-19 by Occupation ●

Service occupation workers are most vulnerable to contracting the virus.

Source: Politico

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Occupation ●

Low-income workers are less likely to have paid sick leave.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey, “Table 31. Leave Benefits: Access, Private Industry Workers, March 2019.”

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Occupation

Source: Jenny Xia and others, “Paid Sick Days Access and Usage Rates Vary by Race/Ethnicity, Occupation, and Earnings” (Washington: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2016), available at https://iwpr.org/publications/paid-sick-days-access-and-us-age-rates-vary-by-raceethnicity-occupation-and-e arnings/.

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Occupation ●

The working poor don’t have the option to telecommute.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Flexibilities and Work Schedules 2017 - 2018 Data from the American Time Use Survey

Social Vulnerability: Demographics of COVID-19 by Occupation

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Flexibilities and Work Schedules - 2017 - 2018 Data from the American Time Use Survey

Social Vulnerability: Demographics ●

Within this framework of data on culture and demographics, next we are going to look at how the built environment plays a role.

3

Housing Inequality Presented by: Erin Keating

Housing Inequality ●

Loss of Shelter ○ ○ ○

●

Group Quarters ○ ○ ○ ○

●

Homelessness Eviction Natural Disasters Nursing Homes Prisons Dormitories Military Barracks

Living Conditions ○ ○

Public Housing Overcrowding

Source: The New York Times

Housing: Loss of Shelter Homelessness ●

Statistics

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Housing: Loss of Shelter Homelessness ●

NYC Case Study

Source: Coalition for the Homeless: COVID-19 and Homlessness in NYC

Source: Fourteenth Report on Deaths among Persons Experiencing Homelessness and NYC Department of Homeless Services COVID-19 data from April, 2020

Housing: Loss of Shelter Homelessness ●

NYC Case Study

Source: NYC Department of Homeless Services and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Housing: Loss of Shelter ●

Evictions ○

Statistics

Source: The Aspen Institute

Housing: Loss of Shelter ●

Evictions ○

Statistics

Source: The Aspen Institute

Housing: Loss of Shelter ●

Evictions ○

Statistics

Source: The Eviction Lab

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Nursing Homes ○

Statistics

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Nursing Homes ○

Statistics

Housing: Group Quarters Nursing Homes Case Study: NYC ○ ○

New York’s nursing home fatalities were not disproportionate to the rest of the nation NYC has one of the lowest fatality rates in nursing homes of any of its neighboring states.

Source: NYSDOH Analysis of KFF data and New York Times

Housing: Group Quarters Nursing Homes Case Study: NYC

Housing: Group Quarters Nursing Homes Case Study: NYC

Source: NYSDOH Nursing Home Staff Testing Survey, June 8, 2020, data reported by NYS nursing homes to NYSDOH and NYSDOH Daily Health Emergency Response System (HERDS) survey

Housing: Group Quarters Nursing Homes Case Study: NYC

Housing: Group Quarters Nursing Homes Case Study Conclusion ○ ○ ○

Nursing home quality is not a factor in mortality from COVID Admission policies were not a significant factor in nursing home fatalities Employee infections were related to the larger community spread and employee transmission has the strongest correlation to nursing home fatalities.

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Prisons ○

Incarceration Rates

Source: The Prison Policy Initiative

Source: The Sentencing Project

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Prisons ○ ○

Demographics Health

Source: The Bureau of Justice Statistics

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Prisons ○

U.S. Covid-19 Data

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Prisons ○

Case Study: NYC

Source: The Legal Aid Society and the NYC Board of Correction

Housing: Group Quarters ●

Prisons ○

Case Study: NYC

**Data available data: Correctional Health Services (CHS), has refused to publish critical information about the COVID-19 situation in NYC jails, including the cumulative total number of people who have contracted coronavirus in DOC custody and the total number of people in DOC custody tested for the virus.

Source: The Legal Aid Society and the NYC Board of Correction

Housing: Living Conditions ● ●

Public Housing Unhealthy Living Conditions

Housing: Living Conditions ● ●

Public Housing Case Study: New York City

Housing: Living Conditions ●

Overcrowding ○

Generational Housing

Source: ACS 2013-2017 and IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota.

Credit: Jackie Botts/Lo Bénichou/Matt Levin, CalMatters

Housing: Living Conditions ●

Overcrowding ○

Generational Housing

Source: 5-year ACS 2014-2018 and California counties’ public health departments.

Credit: Jackie Botts/Lo Bénichou, CalMatters

Housing: Living Conditions ●

Overcrowding ○

Generational Housing

Source: 5-year ACS 2014-2018 and California counties’ public health departments.

Credit: Jackie Botts/Lo Bénichou, CalMatters

Housing: Living Conditions ●

Overcrowding ○

Generational Housing

Source: 5-year ACS 2014-2018 and California counties’ public health departments.

Credit: Jackie Botts/Lo Bénichou, CalMatters

4

Urbanism Presented by: Daniel Farji

Urbanism 1.

Mental and Physical Health

2.

Urban Decay & Abandonment

3.

Resilience & Alternative Spaces

Source: The New Yorker

Urbanism: Mental Health

Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll (conducted March 25-30, 2020)

Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll (conducted March 25-30, 2020)

Urbanism: Blight and Decay Highest Vacancy Rates Among the 75 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2012 These statistics are expected to increase in vacancy rate percentages over the next few years well into 2020’s as people and families continue to flee for the suburbs from city centers. There is no data available on this topic yet as it is too soon to document and is currently ongoing.

Source: United States Census Bureau, 2012

Urbanism: Blight and Decay

Urbanism: Blight and Decay U.S. Office statistics by city markets in 2020

Source: JLL, United States Office Outlook

Urbanism: Suburbanization ●

●

Increase in suburbanization and families moving from city centers to the suburbs as a direct result from the Coronavirus Will lead to further urban decay and urban blight in American downtowns.

Source: Britannica

Urbanism: COVID-19 ●

●

Depicted is an example of turning an enclosed urban space that already exists into a public plaza.

Logistically, little work needs to be done to convert these spaces to be usable green-friendly spaces where people can congregate at a social distance outdoors.

Source: Neighborhoods Now Toolkit

Urbanism: COVID-19 Reimagined Spaces: “Tactical Urbanism”- also referred to as “pop-up urbanism” are low-cost and temporary changes to the streets and built environment of cities and is meant to increase

Source: Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune

the use of public space. It is also intended to improve local residential neighborhoods and gathering spaces.

Source: Arts and Planning

Urbanism: New and Alternative Spaces ●

Reimagined Spaces: With the fall of the American indoor suburban mall in the late 2010’s, urban pedestrian public spaces will bring the necessary foot traffic to local businesses such as restaurants, family owned shops, and big box retail stores.

Source: Neighborhoods Now Toolkit

Urbanism: New and Alternative Spaces ●

Using abandoned or unused spaces in urban areas as well as the suburbs for offices that incorporate post COVID-19 layouts.

Source: The New York

Urbanism: New and Alternative Spaces This is not the first time architects, interior designers, and urban planners have been challenged by a health crisis before. Many previous historical examples exist such as 1918 Spanish Flu and the Tuberculosis Crisis throughout the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century.

Source: The New Yorker, Illustrations by Emma Roulette

Urbanism: New and Alternative Spaces ●

Alternative Spaces: NORCS

Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities in the United States, 2010

(Naturally Occurring Retirements Communities)

Source: Proximityone

5

Public Spaces Presented by: Daniela Gomez

Public Spaces ●

Recreation ○

●

Health ○ ○

●

Vulnerable People

Accessibility ○

● ● ●

Consequence of Isolation Benefits of Outdoors

Socializing ○

●

Parks

Racial/Socioeconomic Disparities

Plazas & Fields Streets Transportation

Source: vecteezy.com

Public Spaces: Recreation ● ● ● ● ●

Park Closures National Parks Neighborhood Parks Beaches Marinas

Source: JAXPARKS

Public Spaces: Health

Source: GhelPeople

Source: Activation

Public Spaces: Socializing ● ●

Elderly People Isolated People

Source: GhelPeople

Public Spaces: Accessibility ● ● ● ●

Low-Income/ Racial Minority Neighborhoods Size of Neighborhood Parks Quantity of Neighborhood Parks Quality of Neighborhood Parks

Source: Brookings analysis of CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network data

Public Space: Plazas & Fields ● ● ●

Protests Food Markets Art Markets

Source: The Atlantic

Public Space: Plazas & Fields ● ● ●

Protests Food Markets Art Markets

Source: KCRW Podcast Website

Public Spaces: Streets ●

Adapting Streets ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Dining Bike Lane Sidewalk Extension Markets Open Play Classrooms

Source: NACTO

Public Spaces: Streets ●

Adapting Streets ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Dining Bike Lane Sidewalk Extension Markets Open Play Classrooms

Source: NACTO

Public Spaces: Streets ●

Adapting Streets ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Dining Bike Lane Sidewalk Extension Markets Open Play Classrooms

Source: NACTO

Public Spaces: Transportation ● ● ● ● ●

Walking Biking Private Car Rideshare Public Transportation

Source: GhelPeople

Public Spaces: Summary ●

Recreation ○

●

Health ○ ○

●

Vulnerable People

Accessibility ○

● ● ●

Consequence of Isolation Benefits of Outdoors

Socializing ○

●

Parks

Racial/Socioeconomic Disparities

Plazas & Fields Streets Transportation

Source: vecteezy.com

6

Proposals

Proposals: Modular Construction ●

Carlo Ratti Associati designs shipping-container intensive care units for coronavirus treatment.

Source: Carlo Ratti Associati

Proposals: Modular Construction

Source: Carlo Ratti Associati

Proposals: Modular Construction ● ● ●

Modular pre-fabricated emergency hospital built in the city of Wuhan in just 10 days It was built at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of February Contains 1,000 beds and 30 intensive care beds

Source: Business Insider

Proposals: Modular Construction ●

MMW Architects present an efficient, flexible and affordable modular hospital in response to the ongoing corona-pandemic.

Source: MMW

Proposals: Modular Construction

Source: MMW

Proposals: Modular Construction ●

HAHA Architects Group created a Field Rescue Center (FRC) as a concept of a mobile diagnosis and treatment facility.

Source: HAHA Architects Group

Proposals: Modular Construction

Source: HAHA Architects Group

Proposals: Adaptation Design Strategies ●

MASS Design Group outlines redesign strategies for restaurants following coronavirus.

Source: MASS Design Group

Proposals: Adaptation Design Strategies

Source: MASS Design Group

Proposals: Adaptation Design Strategies ●

Shift Architecture Urbanism designs social distancing into the food market.

Source: Shift Architecture Urbanism

Proposals: Adaptation Design Strategies

Source: Shift Architecture Urbanism

7

Conclusions

Conclusions ● ● ● ● ●

Identified the correlations between the built environment and Covid-19 Identification leads to selection of most meaningful indicators regarding the correlations of conditions and incidence This leads to possibility of developing recommendations with incidence in codes, policies, mitigation strategies and investments The application of these recommendations could have significant impacts in the short term and medium term for the well being of populations These studies have been driven by the availability of data & interdisciplinary associations

Conclusions ● ●

In general terms, the mitigation strategies identified could be implemented at federal, state and local levels, inclusive of self-driven community actions Examples of these strategies include: ○

○

Culture ■ Re-inventing spaces that host cultural events such as theaters, museums, ect to be in an outdoor setting.

■ Innovating virtual cultural experiences.

■ Evolving educational strategies Social Vulnerabilities ■ Provide better healthcare services for underserved communities, such as field hospitals and clinics in abandoned lots ■ Review of codes and guidelines for commercial or public gathering spaces

Conclusions ●

Examples of these strategies include: ○

○

○

Housing ■ Providing more affordable residential units for underserved communities, in order to reduce overcrowding ■ Retrofit and maintenance of existing public housing stock ■ The reuse of dismissed industrial office space Urbanism ■ Adaptation through tactical urbanism to facilitate new spaces for gathering and public use ■ Reinventing office spaces to include open floor plans with glass partitions and acoustical panels to mitigate sound pollution Public Spaces ■ Equitable access to public spaces ■ Designing flexible and adaptable public spaces to increase regulated capacity of businesses, schools, and markets ■ Prioritize safe individual modalities of transportation, such as biking

Thank You Contact: Professor: Martha Kohen - mkohen@ufl.edu Daniela Gomez - danielagomez@ufl.edu Blanchard Fagan - blanchardf97@ufl.edu Kaci Seitzinger - kseitzinger@ufl.edu Daniel Farji - dfarji16@ufl.edu Erin Keating - ekeating@ufl.edu