The Covid19 pandemic has changed the way people behave and interact consequently resulting to various social and environmental changes as well.
In a study recently conducted by AyyoobSharifiabc and Amir RezaKhavarian-Garmsird published at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720359209#s0095 , the following are the major
issues revealed by the pandemics and recommendations for post-COVID planning.
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Major Issues Revealed by the Pandemic
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Major Recommendations/Implications
for Post-COVID Planning
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Environmental Quality
(Air quality)
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-Traffic emissions are major sources of pollution
in many cities
- Non-traffic sources of pollution are also important in some contexts
- In some contexts, COVID-19 transmission/mortality rates are strongly
associated with high levels of air pollution
- Long-term exposure to air pollution can increase human vulnerability to
pandemics
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- Greening the transportation and industry
sectors can provide major air quality benefits
- Measures to reduce traffic-related pollution are not enough to address air
quality in all contexts
- As measures designed for reducing some pollutants may increase secondary
pollutants, holistic approaches to pollution mitigation are needed
- Reducing air pollution can contribute to reducing transmission/mortality
rates of pandemics
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Environmental Factors
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- Evidence on the association between temperature
and COVID-19 transmission rate are inconclusive
- When the wind speed is low, air pollution is likely to intensify
transmission rate
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- During pandemics, social distancing and other
protection measures should continuously be promoted irrespective of
environmental conditions
- Improving air quality can contribute to addressing issues related to
covid-19 and other pandemics both in short and long term
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Urban Water Cycle
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- Unregulated human activities have resulted in
the contamination of water resources in many cities
- Drugs used for treatment of COVID-19 patients may pollute freshwater
resources
- Lack of sewage treatment facilities in poor areas undermines the
effectiveness of lockdown measures
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- Designing regulations to minimize negative
agricultural, industrial, and traffic impacts on water resources should be
prioritized
- Sufficient disinfection of water plants and wastewater treatment plants and
measures such as the prevention of sewage leakage into freshwater resources
are essential to reduce human exposure to the virus
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Socio-economic impacts (Social
impacts)
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- COVID-19 has exposed old problems and
inequalities in a new light
- Inequalities make containment challenging, and may also lead to further
diffusion of the virus
- Enforcing social distancing and other response measures is challenging in
slums
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- More inclusive actions towards reducing
inequalities and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups should be
prioritized
- Slum upgrading should be prioritized
- Social distancing policies should be coupled with economic support
mechanisms
- Enhancing sense of community is critical for improving response and
recovery capacities
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Economic Impacts
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-Homogeneous economic structure increases
vulnerability
- Marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by the economic impacts
of the pandemic
- Global supply chain makes cities vulnerable to disruptive events
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- Diversifying urban economic structure is
essential
- Developing relief programs to support vulnerable and marginalized groups is
necessary during pandemics
- Transformation to more local supply chain that increases self-sufficiency
is needed for dealing with the economic fallouts of the pandemic and similar
future events
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Management and Governance (Governance)
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- Absence of proactive planning and emergency
plans is a major reason for failure to respond effectively is some countries
- Fragmented urban governance erodes response and adaptation capacities
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- Long-term visioning and integrated urban
governance enhance adaptive capacity
- During pandemics, local governments should provide economic and social
support to vulnerable groups
- In addition to top-down initiatives, certain levels of local leadership and
community engagement are critical for timely response to pandemics
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Smart Cities
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- Smart solutions have contributed to developing
more effective and efficient response and recovery measures (e.g.,
identifying and isolating infected individuals, reducing human-to-human
contacts in service delivery, etc.)
- Techno-driven approaches have been successful in containing the virus, but
have raised concerns regarding privacy protection and transparency
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- Public access to real time and geo-referenced
data enables better response and recovery from adverse events
- Techno-driven approaches should not undermine privacy issues and be misused
to reinforce power relations
- Human-driven approaches are more suitable for citizen empowerment
- Combined approaches are better suited for containing the pandemic, dealing
with privacy concerns, facilitating coordination and information sharing, and
controlling the spread of misinformation
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Transportation and Urban Design
(Transportation)
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- Increased transport connectivity is a risk
factor that may contribute to the diffusion of infection diseases
- Public transportation may increase the risk of transmission during
pandemics
- The pandemic may increase negative attitudes towards public transportation
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- Smart mobility restrictions, based on the
transmission risk of different transportation modes, is essential for containing
the spread of the virus
- More attention to minimizing potential public health risks of public
transportation is needed
- Modal shift to cycling and walking offers a unique opportunity to further
promote active transportation
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Transportation and Urban Design
(Urban design)
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- Density alone is not a key risk factor
contributing to the spread of the virus
- Some cities lack appropriate levels of green and open spaces to meet
outdoor exercise and recreation demands of their citizens while fulfilling
social distancing requirements
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- Density alone is not a key risk factor
contributing to the spread of the virus
- Some cities lack appropriate levels of green and open spaces to meet
outdoor exercise and recreation demands of their citizens while fulfilling
social distancing requirements
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Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720359209#s0095
