Prologue
A series by: Aya Abdelfatah and Islam (Sam) Ibrahim
On June 08 2015, Adam woke up to a sunny Monday morning; a blessing any Vancouverite appreciates. He does his daily routine of brushing his teeth, showering, having breakfast, and then checking the bus schedule. The number 10 is usually a few minutes late, which gives Adam a chance to water his plants right before leaving to work. The walk to the bus stop is exactly 4 minutes. He arrives and stands in line hoping that the bus will not be full. The next bus is in about 10 minutes which is enough to miss his 9:00 am meeting. Thankfully, he gets on the bus and makes it to his desk on time.
On June 08 2020, Adam woke up to yet another sunny Monday morning; however the gratitude he had 5 years ago is not the same. His daily routine is now far from what it used to be. He still brushes his teeth, showers, has breakfast, but now there is no need to check the bus schedule. In fact, there is actually no need to even wear pants. Adam officially works from home on a daily basis to maintain social distancing regulations and avoid the spread of COVID-19. An immense change in lifestyle and routine that gives him a larger window of time to do morning yoga and meditation after watering his plants. He then logs on to the online server to start his work day from his new “office” space; the living room sofa.
Ever since the pandemic hit the world people’s daily lives have changed drastically; getting acclimated to the new “normal” was inevitable. It was thus imperative to question the status quo of urban design, architecture, and urban policy which shapes our cities, in addition to the various adaptation techniques employed in response to the pandemic.
It might be counter intuitive to think about a pandemic having any positive consequences, but in reality, the pandemic has revealed an alternative urban reality which we are, more or less, forced to explore. Some cities had a resilient infrastructure in place which was able to absorb the new reality comfortably and cater for the diverse demographics of city dwellers — be it age, race, mental or physical ability, while others were not as successful. These aspects were manifested in the social, economic, and environmental impacts which will be praised or criticized as we go about this series.
Urban Reflections is a series which sheds light on the degree of resilience of cities as revealed by the pandemic in a way that contributes to a constructive dialogue so that social justice prevails in the future of our urban life.
The series aspires to present some concepts and design solutions on how to tackle the future of urban life. Each article highlights a specific topic under the three main themes of Urban Reflections: City Elements, Behavioral Topics, and Common Global Issues. Some articles will be rethinking established definitions such as: neighborhoods and homes in light of the lock-down. Others will be redesigning standardized city elements such as: transit stops and storefronts to conform with the recommended social distancing measures. While others will be tackling physical and mental health impacts resulting from the shift towards the virtual realm.
If the pandemic has done anything, it has forced us to abandon our comfort zone and explore new alternatives. As the old proverb says: “necessity is the mother of invention”; it is in the time of crisis that we can really approach the deeply rooted problems pertaining to designing our cities. With constant dialogue and effective action comes positive change. This pandemic is the trigger; a trigger to change towards social justice.
