The coronavirus crisis is highlighting the contributions of cities as well as their vulnerabilities and the planning issues that need to be priorities in the future.
"The impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic are still being understood, but it does seem clear that this crisis will make a mark on cities, physically and socially, that will echo for generations," writes Rogier van den Berg.
While the pandemic has spurred debate about the role of density in the spread of the disease and efforts to contain it, urban density is needed for the provision of core services. "It’s the lack of access to essential services such as water, housing and health care, that has exacerbated the challenge of responding effectively to COVID-19 in many cities," says van den Berg.
Van den Berg also points out the clear need for access to affordable housing and public spaces and more holistic planning of green space. In addition, city and regional planning need to be better integrated, and more granular data needs to be part of post-coronavirus urban planning.
Cities will face many important questions in the future related to urban planning, says van den Berg. "Will we make cities more resilient to future crises? Will we make green and blue spaces front and center of our infrastructure investments? And will we seriously address the fact that it’s not just physically, but economically, socially and environmentally that cities are connected to their surrounding regions?"
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