Why the relation
2020 begins with the global COVID 19 pandemic. Starting from a city in China, the crisis has gone global within 6 months, as a result of urbanisation and globalisation; and its ending is nowhere near. No doubt, this has already altered urban life to a great extent. The urban movement has been restricted or even shut off; public places such as retail malls are regulated; work from home is the new normal; businesses are struggling. All the aspects that define urban are crumbling. All these made us wonder how cities are now shaped and, perhaps more importantly, how they can respond to current and future crises.
Green & Blue Spaces become essential
Amid this pandemic, one of the few places that have seen a surge in traffic is parks and waterways. Green and blue spaces are no longer being seen as good to have, but instead essential. Working from home and being confined for a long period of time have allowed people to appreciate the value of such places due to its physical and mental health benefits and environmental benefits (e.g. carbon sequestration, water catchment) . This calls for re-purposing grey public spaces, restoring ecology and green infrastructure to not only accommodate urban population but also ultimately support public health.
Parc de la Distance, a new design for a public park by Austrian architecture firm Studio Precht, enables city dwellers to exercise and enjoy nature as Covid-19 lock-downs ease while still maintaining physical distance.
Transportation gets healthier
While the air cleared up and the emission fell during the lock-downs, this in a way implies how cities are overcrowded with private vehicles. It is true that transportation accounts for the largest amount of fossil fuel energy used in cities. This results in air pollution, which is a serious health risk; people with lung diseases can be truly at risk when it is coupled with respiratory diseases such as Covid 19.
With working from home is going to be a new normal, infrastructure for "micromobility" (e.g. walking and bicycles) will emerge. This means planning for sustainable urban connection, retrofitting the streets and employing more energy efficient modes of mobility. This emergence not only reduces cities' overall carbon footprint but also creates more space for people and nature.
In BIG's plan for Toyota Woven City, neighborhoods are designed around open-space courtyards that allow pedestrians to safely and peacefully interact with nature. Buildings can be accessed and serviced by vehicular traffic traffic on the street side, and deliveries would arrive via the “matternet,” an underground network of tunnels that keep certain services out of sight. Photo: Courtesy of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
Water Management is key
The Covid 19 pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of water. Cities need clean water to practice basic hygiene and reduce virus transmission, however, its availability can be heavily affected by the climate change (e.g. drought). Flooding contributes to many epidemics and water-borne diseases (e.g. dengue), which place additional stress on the health systems. Therefore, "living with flood" will be an upcoming urban lifestyle: extensive porous surfacing, maximized vertical greens, multi-functional green and blue infrastructure and smart data tools for water accounting and prediction.
On the other hand, while wastewater treatment for reuse is ongoing, moving from isolated plant to fully integrated river basin planning approaches can lead to more sustainable and resilient systems.
Vegetated swale in Jurong Lake Garden West that store and convey the stormwater naturally
Smart Cities continue expanding
Manual temperature taking and movement tracking have been a familiar sight, and pandemic recovery or not, we all need to get used to the new measures. As such, this is a prime opportunity to introduce advanced technologies to serve residents, to become a smarter city. Some of the immediate smart city solutions to curb the contagion include remote temperature monitoring systems, real-time heatmaps of crowding in public spaces, drones spraying disinfectants and robots acting as "Safe distance ambassadors". In the long run, 5G, automation, virtual viewing, smart emergency responses and telecommunication will expand and grow rapidly.
A robot dog called Spot patrols a Singapore park playing a recorded message telling people to observe physical distancing measures
Adaptation to Climate Change
Ultimately, all aforementioned elements can be applied in the context of climate change. Climate change may have its bearing on the way the world responds to Covid 19 pandemic, for e.g. water scarcity or air pollution, which definitely worsen the pandemic. On the other hand, Covid 19 is a wake up call for a change in perspectives of what is possible in response to climate change and what we want our cities to look like. With new challenges emerging e.g. sea level rise and extreme weather events while fighting against pandemics, a city is envisioned to be not only sustainable, but resilient and adaptable. Holistic urban design requires coordinated multi disciplines to shape and bring the vision into reality.
Animated clip from a video introduction to RegenCities, an SOM research initiative seeking to balance equitable economic development with sustainability and public health. Image © SOM
