19 Ways to Redesign the World in the Covid-19 Era

POLITICO Magazine surveyed designers, architects, planners, doctors, psychologists, logisticians, and others, asking them how they would redesign the world for the Covid-19 era and beyond.

1 minute read

July 8, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By Clement Lau


Coronavirus Map

Martin Sanchez / Unsplash

A variety of experts share how they would redesign our physical spaces and re-envision our models of service delivery. Some imagined ways to make physical spaces such as airports, apartments, offices, and parks more spacious and less risky to our health and wellbeing. Some envisioned new and more efficient models for delivering services as such as health care, medical supplies, social services, and voting. And others dreamed up ideas to sustain meaningful human interactions across physical and social distance. Here are the 19 ideas discussed in the article:

  1. Build skyward.
  2. Rethink restaurants - from back to front.
  3. Create more private outdoor spaces.
  4. Let airports sprawl.
  5. Replace prisons.
  6. Bring parks to people.
  7. Let the military manage the supply chain.
  8. Modernize the doctor house call.
  9. Create a new "healthist" economy.
  10. Refashion end-of-life care.
  11. Reimagine the retail experience.
  12. Replace short flights with buses.
  13. Sell diners on higher prices.
  14. Equip offices for the next crisis.
  15. Don't ditch in-person voting. Make it safer.
  16. Speed up delivery of government benefits.
  17. Keep distance learning in place.
  18. Enlist off-campus students in the recovery.
  19. Learn new communication tricks.

Friday, July 3, 2020 in Politico Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today