New Normal: 15 ways cities can emerge better than ever after COVID-19

Canada has a land of about 10 million square kilometers, with a population of less than 38 million, one of the lowest population density in the world.

But don't be confused by it. Canada is a city country. More than 80 % of Canadians live in the city, and more than on e-third lives in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver in urban areas.

And the most enormous effect of the pandemic of the new colon virus is in urban areas. In the early days when COVID-19 became popular, all lively, dense, lively cities were closed, all of which were closed in office buildings, shopping, nightlife, theaters, concert halls, and sports venues. I was so loud.

Office buildings, shopping centers, nightlife, theaters, concert halls, museums, and sports facilities were all wrapped in the dark. Can the city survive, even though being nearby is the biggest risk? And does remote work mean the end of a relentless urbanization in the 20th and 21st centuries?

Comedian Jerry Sympheld has revealed in an editorial of the New York Times that he is opposed to the destruction of a tattered city.

"There is a real, living, stimulating human energy only in a crazy place like New York," he wrote.

"Do you think Rome will be gone? London? Tokyo? East Village? Not, so. They change. Change. Remodeling is a rare thing. And the true greatness of New York, It is beyond rarity. "

However, there is no doubt that living in the city in 2020 and what the center of the city can learn from this crisis.

HOW CAN CITIES EMERGE BETTER THAN EVER?

CTVNEWS. CA called on four city experts and talked about the future of the city after the pandemic: Jason Soon Planning in Hamilton, southern Hamilton, Southern Ontario, President and CEO of Canadian Urban Institute. ・ Director of Economic Development, Professor Patrick Kondon (Urban Design) of the University of British Colombia, Professor Howard Ramos (Sociology) at Western University in London, Ontario.

If they learn the lessons of COVID-19, we hope that the Canadian cities will be more livable, sustainable, resilient, and fair.

Row says that this pandemic is only the latest in a series of crises that reveal city faults. Already stressed, social unity areas have killed the most.

"The homeless crisis, unhealthy overcrowded, and the decline of the main street business were all before the pandemic.

"There are a lot of corrections after the deadline, such as fairness, institutional racism, and the right to get a residence. Everyone talks about large resetting of COVID-19, but if we intend to do that, We should do it correctly.

• Complete reports are ctvnews. ca/coronavirus
• Coronovirus Newsletter Registration COVID-19 Send a brief to the reception tray

Row, who acknowledges optimists, believes that pandemic is a turning point that leads to ease of livability and fairness.

"This is a moment of a chance for the city," she said in an interview from Toronto.

"Cities are organic. Cities change and change. The city changes and transforms."

Four experts have shown 15 measures that can help Canadian cities to go to such a successful future.

HEADING OFF A HOUSING CRISIS

Sudden rise in real estate prices has driven many people from the market, causing sprawls into the suburbs and prolonged commuting time. According to Row, the Equity Fund and the pension fund buying up a house in a large city, and the residential ward has been divided, and many people are withdrawn.

It is desirable to increase the density due to sustainability, but this pandemic can lead to anxiety about the nearby home.

However, Kondon in UBC says that inequality is more than density, a vector of COVID-19 infection. For example, in the case of New York Manhattan, the most dense area of ​​the city is a virus that is more likely to be in a lo w-wage and frequent contact. He is writing a book that investigates that the infection rate is much lower.

In California, the infection rate was highest among some of the many minorities, and their families were dense in 2LDK apartments.

According to Kondon, Canada does not have data that enables such comparisons, but it will not be a big city.

"Sharing the lobby or pressing the same button is not a problem." Homeless crisis, unhealthy overcrowding, and the decline of the main street business were all before the pandemic.

"There are a lot of corrections after the deadline, such as fairness, institutional racism, and the right to get a residence. Everyone talks about large resetting of COVID-19, but if we intend to do that, We should do it correctly.

Complete reports are ctvnews. ca/coronavirus

Coronovirus Newsletter Registration COVID-19 Send a brief to the reception tray

Row, who acknowledges optimists, believes that pandemic is a turning point that leads to ease of livability and fairness.

"This is a moment of a chance for the city," she said in an interview from Toronto.

"Cities are organic. Cities change and change. The city changes and transforms."

Four experts have shown 15 measures that can help Canadian cities to go to such a successful future.

Sudden rise in real estate prices has driven many people from the market, causing sprawls into the suburbs and prolonged commuting time. According to Row, the Equity Fund and the pension fund buying up a house in a large city, and the residential ward has been divided, and many people are withdrawn.

It is desirable to increase the density due to sustainability, but this pandemic can lead to anxiety about the nearby home.

However, Kondon in UBC says that inequality is more than density, a vector of COVID-19 infection. For example, in the case of New York Manhattan, the most dense area of ​​the city is a virus that is more likely to be in a lo w-wage and frequent contact. He is writing a book that investigates that the infection rate is much lower.

In California, the infection rate was highest among some of the many minorities, and their families were dense in 2LDK apartments.

RISE OF NEIGHBOURHOODS

According to Kondon, Canada does not have data that enables such comparisons, but it will not be a big city.

"Sharing the lobby or pressing the same button is not a problem.

"There are a lot of corrections after the deadline, such as fairness, institutional racism, and the right to get a residence. Everyone talks about large resetting of COVID-19, but if we intend to do that, We should do it correctly.

Complete reports are ctvnews. ca/coronavirus

BETTER USE OF EXISTING SPACES

Coronovirus Newsletter Registration COVID-19 Send a brief to the reception tray

Row, who acknowledges optimists, believes that pandemic is a turning point that leads to ease of livability and fairness.

"This is a moment of a chance for the city," she said in an interview from Toronto.

"Cities are organic. Cities change and change. The city changes and transforms."

LIBRARIES AS COMMUNITY HUBS

Four experts have shown 15 measures that can help Canadian cities to go to such a successful future.

Sudden rise in real estate prices has driven many people from the market, causing sprawls into the suburbs and prolonged commuting time. According to Row, the Equity Fund and the pension fund buying up a house in a large city, and the residential ward has been divided, and many people are withdrawn.

It is desirable to increase the density due to sustainability, but this pandemic can lead to anxiety about the nearby home.

However, Kondon in UBC says that inequality is more than density, a vector of COVID-19 infection. For example, in the case of New York Manhattan, the most dense area of ​​the city is a virus that is more likely to be in a lo w-wage and frequent contact. He is writing a book that investigates that the infection rate is much lower.

In California, the infection rate was highest among some of the many minorities, and their families were dense in 2LDK apartments.

According to Kondon, Canada does not have data that enables such comparisons, but it will not be a big city.

GREATER APPRECIATION OF OUTDOOR SPACES – AND NATURE’S CALL

"Sharing the lobby or pressing the same button is not a problem.

The pandemic has proven that public health is intertwined with social equity, but Condon, author of Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities, hopes it will lead to a new national commitment to address the "alarming rise" in housing prices that are pushing people into unsafe and unhealthy housing.

The average price of a home in Canada has doubled in the past 15 years, while wages have remained roughly flat, he said.

This is not sustainable unless there is a social crisis. "COVID is more than a canary in the coal mine. COVID has revealed structural flaws in a society that are based on inequality. Housing costs are a big part of that."

One answer is to ensure that developers don't just showcase affordable housing, but include a range of options, Rowe says.

Ottawa has taken a step forward by promising to spend $1 billion over the next six months to allow cities and housing providers to buy properties on the market because of the pandemic and convert them into housing for people at risk of homelessness.

MAKING THE MOST OF NOOKS AND CRANNIES

According to Ramos of Western University, the most important thing is for the federal government to get back into setting housing policy, instead of just leaving it to the market.

"Canada hasn't guaranteed access to the housing market for decades. In Vienna, 40% of residents live in subsidized housing. It's just a matter of prioritizing affordable rents to ensure diverse neighborhoods."

Condon says that governments at all levels need to crack down on land speculation, which has driven up land prices in big cities, pushed low- and middle-income earners to the suburbs, and requires billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure.

He says we should drastically reduce spending on megaprojects like subways, highways, and bridges that move low-income workers from the suburbs to urban centers, and instead invest in affordable housing near where the jobs are.

When neighborhoods become polarized, like in many American cities, between haves and have-nots, slums and gated communities, it increases the levels of tension, violence, and decay, which will lead to the worst outcomes of the pandemic, Ramos says.

"We have two choices: we can take the American way, or we can take the European way, and redistribute wealth and have mixed neighborhoods. Both come with sacrifices.... America is a cautionary tale."

The biggest change since the pandemic began has been in the use of public spaces in urban neighborhoods, says Hamilton's Thorne.

"I think the pandemic has shown us how much we rely on our neighborhoods. Can we get what we need in a short time? Can we get to essential services and amenities like playgrounds without ever leaving our neighborhood? I think that will have a lasting impact."

STREETS THAT AREN’T JUST FOR CARS

Lowe also envisions an increased focus on neighborhoods, with more white-collar workers working from home or in nearby co-working spaces, more government services available closer to home, and campaigns to shop your local high street.

"It's inevitable that we'll see more mixed-use in our communities. After 9/11, there was this fear that no one would want to work in office towers and that lower Manhattan would disappear. But that didn't happen. The office towers bounced back, but the city built housing in the neighborhoods too. They said it couldn't work..."

Low wants to see more adaptive and flexible use of existing neighborhood spaces to serve social needs. Perhaps that means putting shared co-working units in libraries or converting nightclubs into daytime coffee shops.

And churches and schools, which typically sit unused for long periods of time, could be put to better use, Lowe says. Office towers could be repurposed into mixed-use buildings with housing, childcare, food growing and light manufacturing.

From 2008 to 2009, The 2019 global financial crisis demonstrated that temporary land-use solutions can deliver economic damage: pop-up shops, urban agriculture, retail plazas and arts facilities converted from shipping containers. The lingering realities of living in a pandemic may lead to more permanent shifts.

"If we've learned one thing, it's that the future is too hard to predict, which means we need to build flexibility into our streets, office towers and neighborhoods."

Rowe hopes that the new appreciation for libraries will continue beyond the pandemic.

Libraries are the hubs of neighborhoods, where people can access quality information, connect to local services and meet people from different cultural and economic backgrounds," Rowe says.

"So much of our lives are fragmented and we're with people who are like us. But the dynamism of cities is that ideas and cultures emerge from connections between people of different backgrounds. And that's what happens in libraries."

During the pandemic, the library sponsored a virtual book club and a Penpal program, launched a phone tree during rockdown, and also talked about downloading apps to rent a book from the elderly.

Row believes that the library will emerge as a stronger nearby hub. It is a place where inhabitants can access outdoor equipment, receive influenza vaccination, learn or vote digital navigation.

On Thursday, June 25, 2020, a restaurant patio on Mount Royal Street in Montreal. The Canadian PresS/Paul CHIASSON

Parks, trails, and other green spaces are crowded this year with urban residents who are going to grow and suck fresh air.

MORE RESIDENTS EMBRACING PEDAL POWER

"People are playing games, picnics, and throwing balls." They just want to play outside. Bicycle lane and outdoor toilet suddenly appeared. It was a pandemic to provide human dignity for the street.

However, according to Tone, the r e-evaluation of the outdoors could also affect conditions such as balconies, rooftop patio, gardens, and parks required by condominium buyers. As a result, housing buyers may be more focused on the garden than in the area of ​​the house.

This pandemic has gained the attention of the space connecting neighbors, such as pouches, balconies, and natural pieces, called "Edge Space" by Associate Professor Jelena Zikic, York University in Toronto. 。

"Many conversations beyond fence barriers, waves from porches, teddy bears on windows, and clear lessons from chalk art on the sidewalk are edge space between private and public areas. They need more acceptance, "they wrote in June.

"...... (Omitted) During recent blockade, as we showed us, as we showed us in the garden and the colorful display displayed on the wall, we It is a changing space to connect. "

Row is in love with the patio in a quiet residential area near Toronto.

"I don't want you to disappear, but why did you need pandemic to blow life on our street?

TURNING TO ART

Thornn did not notice that the small alleys beside the restaurant he often use were illuminated by light and had a narrow patio for about 12 customers.

"Every corner once excess is suddenly important.

And to change the dead space into a "place where people want to go", there is no need for big things such as murals and lighting.

According to Sean, COVID-19 strictly restricts the number of indoor capacity and many people don't want to spend a long time indoors with strangers, so many retail stores on sidewalks, parking lots, and alleys. He brought a restaurant.

"In the future, when investors and entrepreneurs make decisions, we will really consider the opportunity for outdoor space. The adaptability of the space can only be used in one way. It will be important to prevent them from surrounding them.

He hopes that there will be more churches and schools that use tents for worship and classes outdoors.

"Everything that reduces dependence on cars is good for climate change, sustainability, households and urban infrastructure," said Kondon, the founding chair of the UBC Urban Design Program.

BREAK OUT THE WOOLLIES – EMBRACING WINTER IN CANADA

He hopes that more Canadian cities will adopt a Portland (Oregon) approach that banned some of the blocks.

"Because it was realized in just one month, such as being discussed endlessly at the city hall.

A LESS-PACKED COMMUTE

Row says that the street is the largest public space in the city and the core of the urban environment. However, in North America, it was completely handed over to a car somewhere.

"The street is for everyone, and it must be for those who move in every way."

She has been encouraged by the fact that bicycle lanes have been rapidly well maintained in many cities since March, and transportation lanes and parking lanes have been diverted to patio and store space.

Thorne agrees that the owners of cities and private land can move agile, but are wondering what will happen if the traffic returns to the normal level.

MORE RESILIENCY

"If the downtown office is redeveloped, the competition over space will intensify again. The ratio of parking lot and courtyard will change. It is interesting whether it will return.

Ramos expects to increase green spaces and pedestrians on the streets of large cities.

In the United Kingdom, parent s-led exercises are promoting the diverting space on the street into children's playgrounds. < SPAN> And to change the dead space into a "place where people want to go", there is no need for big things such as murals and lighting.

EMERGENCE OF SECONDARY CITIES

According to Sean, COVID-19 strictly restricts the number of indoor capacity and many people don't want to spend a long time indoors with strangers, so many retail stores on sidewalks, parking lots, and alleys. He brought a restaurant.

"In the future, when investors and entrepreneurs make decisions, we will really consider the opportunity for outdoor space. The adaptability of the space can only be used in one way. It will be important to prevent them from surrounding them.

He hopes that there will be more churches and schools that use tents for worship and classes outdoors.

"Everything that reduces dependence on cars is good for climate change, sustainability, households and urban infrastructure," said Kondon, the founding chair of the UBC Urban Design Program.

He hopes that more Canadian cities will adopt a Portland (Oregon) approach that banned some of the blocks.

FOLLOWING THE ‘DESIRE PATH’

"Because it was realized in just one month, such as being discussed endlessly at the city hall.

Row says that the street is the largest public space in the city and the core of the urban environment. However, in North America, it was completely handed over to a car somewhere.

"The street is for everyone, and it must be for those who move in every way."

She has been encouraged by the fact that bicycle lanes have been rapidly well maintained in many cities since March, and transportation lanes and parking lanes have been diverted to patio and store space.

Thorne agrees that the owners of cities and private land can move agile, but are wondering what will happen if the traffic returns to the normal level.

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

"If the downtown office is redeveloped, the competition over space will intensify again. The ratio of parking lot and courtyard will change. It is interesting whether it will return.

Ramos expects to increase green spaces and pedestrians on the streets of large cities.

In the United Kingdom, parent s-led exercises are promoting the diverting space on the street into children's playgrounds. And to change the dead space into a "place where people want to go", there is no need for big things such as murals and lighting.

According to Sean, COVID-19 strictly restricts the number of indoor capacity and many people don't want to spend a long time indoors with strangers, so many retail stores on sidewalks, parking lots, and alleys. He brought a restaurant.

"In the future, when investors and entrepreneurs make decisions, we will really consider the opportunity for outdoor space. The adaptability of the space can only be used in one way. It will be important to prevent them from surrounding them.

He hopes that there will be more churches and schools that use tents for worship and classes outdoors.

Ontario waited weeks to trigger restrictions while COVID-19 spread. Did changes come too late?

"Everything that reduces dependence on cars is good for climate change, sustainability, households and urban infrastructure," said Kondon, the founding chair of the UBC Urban Design Program.

'Alarm bells' rang for weeks as case counts, hospitalizations kept rising

He hopes that more Canadian cities will adopt a Portland (Oregon) approach that banned some of the blocks.

"Because it was realized in just one month, such as being discussed endlessly at the city hall.

Social Sharing

Row says that the street is the largest public space in the city and the core of the urban environment. However, in North America, it was completely handed over to a car somewhere.

"The street is for everyone, and it must be for those who move in every way."

She has been encouraged by the fact that bicycle lanes have been rapidly well maintained in many cities since March, and transportation lanes and parking lanes have been diverted to patio and store space.

Thorne agrees that the owners of cities and private land can move agile, but are wondering what will happen if the traffic returns to the normal level.

"If the downtown office is redeveloped, the competition over space will intensify again. The ratio of parking lot and courtyard will change. It is interesting whether it will return.

Ramos expects to increase green spaces and pedestrians on the streets of large cities.

In the United Kingdom, parent s-led movements are promoting the divert the space on the street into children's playgrounds.

Climate change will require more creative thinking about urban infrastructure, Rowe says. For example, as severe weather becomes more common, Rowe says we need to think of roads as important waterways for stormwater management.

"As sea levels rise, roads in coastal cities could one day become canals. It's not inconceivable."

Cyclists cross a bike path in Toronto on Saturday, May 23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Practically overnight, cities across Canada and around the world responded to the sharp decline in car traffic and transit ridership by converting traffic and parking lanes into bike and pedestrian lanes, or closing roads entirely.

• In some cases, it didn't require huge investments, just traffic cones, flower pots, paint and signs. This spring and summer, bicycles have become as hard to come by as disinfectant wipes.

• There's a great opportunity to shift more commuters to bike, says Henry Prapavesis, a kinesiology professor at Western University. Before the pandemic, only a small percentage of people cycled or walked to work: 6. 7% in Toronto, 7. 2% in Montreal, and 9. 1% in Vancouver.

Copenhagen, a city that is bicycle-friendly, has a 62% bicycle commuting rate.

Studies have shown that city residents who walk or cycle more often have lower rates of obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes than those who live in suburban or rural areas.

A 2004 Quebec study found that infant mortality, certain cancers, suicide, and traffic accident death rates were much higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Rural residents were also more likely to be overweight and smoke than their urban counterparts.

A 2019 report found that health disparities are worsening in American cities. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that in 2004, rural areas had 77 deaths per 100, 000 compared to urban areas. This disparity rose to 135 deaths per 100, 000 by 2016.

Rowe says the pandemic has shown how local arts communities can rise up and provide hope and meaning in times of crisis—by creating virtual artworks, producing street art from murals on park benches and alley walls to digital animations on skyscrapers, and producing physically distanced events in outdoor spaces, rooftops, drive-in theaters, and even front porches.

Post-pandemic, she hopes to revitalize existing spaces like libraries, churches, pubs, community centers, streets, and parks with cultural activity.

Ford's changing message about COVID-19 in Ontario

That will be especially important if arts institutions can't survive. "We have to use the assets we have and bring cultural activity," she says. "The biggest antidote to underprivileged neighborhoods is repurposed, repurposed space, bringing vibrancy to places that other people have abandoned."

The key, says Rowe, is connecting the dots to bring artists and entrepreneurs together to reinvent neighborhoods.

In Hamilton, city officials approved the use of a city-owned parking lot for a series of rooftop concerts. The Art Gallery of Hamilton used tents for outdoor programming.

"I think that's really exciting," says Thorne. "It breaks down those barriers that may have only been psychological barriers before."

Thorne hopes to see Canadians bundled up to socialize and eat outside this winter.

Cases shifting to older adults

"We don't have much of a culture of spending the winter outdoors. In other northern countries, people eat and drink outside. We're already starting to consider the option of spending the winter outdoors at restaurants and cafes."

A surge in remote work could mean less crowded trains and buses, and less congestion on highways and in cities. But no one knows what the future of mobility will hold, Thorne says.

"When there's a vaccine, or the pandemic subsides, will we just go back to where we were before in terms of mobility fragmentation, or will there be a fundamental shift to working from home?

If the pandemic makes people reluctant to use mass transit, that might mean a shift to cars and bicycles.

Low would like to see more attention paid to flexible microtransit that helps residents get around neighborhoods, rather than big, fixed subway lines that are meant to get a lot of people in and out of downtown.

Managing the impacts of climate change, from rising seas to more intense storms and heat waves, needs to be part of every discussion about every aspect of urban life, including buildings, parks and roads, Thorne says. But that's only gradually becoming a reality. COVID-19 has shown that cities need to be prepared for sudden change.

• "The reality is that we have to constantly adapt to disruption. Cities are never stagnant. They're always changing."

• On August 1, 2020 (Saturday), the adaware crossing art work "A View from Two Sides", which looks like a person is walking down in the shallow water of the Rido River in Ottawa. The Canadian Pres/Justin Tang

Lamos says that many of the second cities in Canada, such as Halifax, Winnipeg, and London, have achieved the Renaissance in the invitation of new residents from Canadian cities and overseas over the past decade. 。

Ramos anticipates that pandemic will accelerate the momentum if more people seek to work in a remote area while seeking affordable prices and hig h-quality life.

"What we want in the future is to think more comprehensively about the city and the residents there," says Ramos. "Canada can benefit from the growth of the second city, which has been almost overlooked, but it is important not to make the same mistakes as the cities that are leaving."

Ontario aiming to avoid full lockdown

In order to do so, it is necessary to change the stigma for rental and focus on the debt ratio that continues to rise between housing prices and Canadians.

"We have a chance to keep small cities a lively city. Small cities can grow while being loved by people."

Engineers and urban planners design what ways to set up in new parks based on their expertise and experience. However, people who use the park will expressed their ideas on how to use the park, that is, the path of desire by actively using the park.

"The town planning does not respond to what the residents are looking for or how they actually use the city, but too much in advance. Rowe says. "Planners make a big and bold plan, but eventually end up in a bad thing.

The city planner should learn lessons from the hig h-tech industry. There, user s-centered designs are in principle, and technology is evolving based on user needs and how to use existing products.

She says she must keep flexibility and adaptability in mind.

• "The city is an intertwined garden, not a care grass. You must not pretend to be confined in the plan."

• CUI's wax came up with a crowdsourcing platform in the early stages of rock down, where urban builders and residents were happening locally, so that residents and companies could deal with pandemic. The result was CITYSHARE, and Row is planning to permanently installed it in the Canadian City Research Institute.

More than 700 community initiatives from all over the Canada and around the world are introduced: Vancouver Park Board is a vegetable for families who are in trouble due to the cultivation of flowers on the nursery. Changed to cultivation. The Urban Canvas Project in Regina City (REGINA) has beautified the door of the back alley. The "Slow Street Project)" Slow Street Project in Halifax City (Halifax) is specified for regional traffic, and "creating a space where residents can walk, roll, and cycling". For the purpose. In Toronto City, there are various recreation, art, and cultural initiatives under the flag of "#Showloveto".

As an international example, Chicago's "Winter Dining Challenge", Tokyo's project in Tokyo, which is a famous architect to renovate the public toilets in the park, the main street, and the international area that recruits ideas in winter revitalization in neighboring areas. There is a calling call.

"We've seen it in New York after (Hurricane) Sandy and New Orleans after Catholina," Rew says. "The true innovation is born from zero. The government is full of the safety of people, but ordinary people stand up and come up with improvisation."

Related image

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

On Sunday, June 14, 2020, a man who cycles early in the morning in Toronti Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Frank Gun

As the number of infected people and the number of inpatients continued to increase, the warning bell did not stop ringing for several weeks. However, it was Friday that the state Prime Minister and the health authorities announced that the previous regulations would be greatly withdrawn against hot spots in Toronto, Peel, and Otawa.

Lauren Perr y-CB C-Posted: October 10, 2020 4:00 AM EDT ｜ Last Update: October 10, 2020