What should we expect for our post-corona cities ?
The quarantine due to the Covid-19 sanitarian crisis had unexpectedly redefined our way to see our proper cities and how we wish they should be : safer, greener and closer to everyone. Hence, I am going to expose the case of France, the immediate found solutions and improvement thoughts for the future of our cities.
The post-quarantine “era” which started from May the 11th brought people back to their activities softly. Indeed, we hear more cars on the roads, most of the people went back at work respecting the government measures to wear masks, social distancing and set teleworking as much as it can be. The aim is to avoid another lockdown which would damage dramatically both the economic and social situation.
Furthermore, there are two types of people, those who want to get back to the life they had before quarantine and those who stay careful face to the threat that the virus still represents. The latter is in accordance with the moves of the government and the measures it took for the post quarantine. Bars and restaurants stay closed, beaches too, gatherings of more than ten persons are forbidden.
However, it chose to help people in need by giving allocations for students, precarious people, people who can’t work because they must care about their children. Masks are imposed in public transport if not a 135€ penalty is given. However, in a matter of security and to avoid a new quarantine, we cannot go over a hundred kilometres from our homes, except for imperious reasons, it is also forbidden to go abroad, except for working.
A significant amount of City Town gave free masks to their citizens, and private initiatives have been taken to produce masks and sell them (it is around 3€ each, washable). Companies must also respect sanitarian measures like encouraging employees to wear masks, avoid as much as it is possible to welcome people, if not, plexiglass has been set up, hydroalcoholic gel is provided to enable employees to wash systematically their hands.
Besides, the government launched an economic plan to support companies (especially those who are not authorized to open again as restaurants, bars and touristic activities) and hoping an economic recovery. It also calls on people to use discernment and care. According to the solidarity principle, people helped each other during the quarantine and afterwards too. From a global angle, the government project to reach the economic recovery as quick as possible and rebuild social interactions. To do so, it is necessary to think seriously about post quarantine urbanism. It represents the cornerstone of what will be the city of tomorrow. First, lots of cities enlarged the place given for bikes on the roads, they maintained the public transportation and companies focused on remoted work. Consequently, it leads to a general reshaping or reframing of the city.
Urbanism these past years has been transformed in favour of open spaces, the building of larger streets, meeting places, fewer places for cars etc… Paradoxically, with the covid-19 and to respect the sanitarian measures less contact and social distancing are the moto of the authorities whereas this sanitarian crisis revealed how much people need each other.
Post quarantine urbanism should assure to people security from any sanitarian threats, increase in the respect of sanitarian measures, enabling solidarity between the people and social relations. This is in unity that we can shape another future for our cities. Increasing social distancing and by the way, individuality cannot be beneficial for our society. In some French cities, as previously said, new bikeways are designed to encourage people to take their bicycles instead of their cars or public transportation.
Moreover, about transportation, trains have been relaunched and the government is encouraging people to use this means of transport to respond to environmental issues and to control more easily people, to make them integrate sanitarian measures.
Then, with these new measures, masks and all these products to tackle the virus threat must be recycled to avoid pollutions it produced. Reinventing cities it is also redefiningthe way we will work tomorrow. We can imagine the development of co-working spaces within each neighbourhood at 15–20 minutes maximum from people’s home. This kind of measure could benefit to peripheral areas and would make them less dependent of the city centre which concentrates activities. If jobs are closer to people, the local activities (economic and social) will increase. Creating this kind of place implies that companies should continue to encourage teleworking when it is possible and avoid, by the way, employees working at home which provokes sleep problems.
Such places must be of course clean and open to everyone, they must be skill-sharing areas. Moreover, it is crucial to bring back vegetation in town and adapt the cities to the nature and not the contrary. Quarantine revealed to its inhabitants its hostility and its lack of green spaces to breath. That is the reason why, many are considering moving to small or mid-size cities. Those are at stake for post quarantine urbanism strategy. It is already a part of the French territorial policy and the European one to dynamize middle cities, to make them more attractive for investors and people. Countries need to decentralize the economic activities to avoid the excess of people’s concentration and increase their well-being.
Finally, the post quarantine urbanism should respect sanitarian measures and anticipate that kind of threat, being environmentally friendly and closer to the people.
The idea is to bring the activities back to the people and restrain transit through the deepening of the walking and the use of bikes. Developing these means of displacement will logically entail the development of vegetal areas and lower transit of cars in towns. These kinds of transformations are quickly realizable.
However, the “smart cities” file shall be well-reflected. Indeed, the collection of data could be an advantage to offer to citizens what they need and improve urban organisation, but it comports risks for the democratic life, and it is supposed to be completely transparent and understandable for the citizens (Unplugged — Thinking the organisational and managerial challenges of intelligent towns and cities: a critical approach to the Smart Cities phenomenon, Catherinne De La Robertie).
Nathan Jarjot-Jover
