Urban Planning

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, planners and urbanists should be considering the lessons we’re already learning during the pandemic and think about solutions that will improve our future cities. Those include things like urban farming, neighborhoods that are less drivable and more walkable, and better, safer shared-use of city streets.

No, COVID-19 will not be the end of cities. But it will take time, effort and preparation to safely return them to “normal” as soon as possible, says urban studies theorist Richard Florida.

Editor’s note: This is the first of two posts exploring the long-term effects the COVID-19 crisis will have on the American city. Once we get through this, cities as we know them will be changed forever.