Post-COVID cities: some reflections on planning in uncertain times

Javier Ruiz Sánchez and Inés Aquilué Junyent

Chapter 7 in The Impact of COVID on Cities and Regions, 2023, pp 92-109 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: COVID has forced us to recognize the condition of extraordinary that has characterized our urban system for its entirety. Catastrophic events have always been with us. Our mature cities are highly imperfect in their structure and functioning, in the condition of permanent change and in self-regulating systems. This complexity makes us less vulnerable in the face of catastrophe. ln contrast with other catastrophes such as the war in Ukraine or recent earthquakes and weather events, COVID is invisible. The two strategies for dealing with this are: (1) mitigation - a reduction in the degrees of freedom and (2) adaptation - opening possibilities for self-organization. This opens a consideration of the post-COVID city, including dealing with long periods of confinement, social distancing, new communication technologies and the emergence of boundaries and controlled access, both in physical and legal forms. In constructing the new city we must: (1) recognize our ignorance regarding what we do not know and (2) avoid nostalgia for an unattainable security.

Keywords: Economics and Finance; Geography; Politics and Public Policy Urban and Regional Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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