What Cities Can Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic
covet 19.
is it threatening our cities as you’re
staying at home
cancelling all your social gatherings
and your summer vacation plans
what are your thoughts on how this
crisis is changing our cities
high density and connectivity are what
make our cities exciting places to live
yet they also make virus to spread very
rapidly
we’re seeing our big and globally
connected cities
become a hotbed of kovind 19.
we are also continuously reminded to
avoid going to crowded places
and to minimize human contact so we’re
basically told
to stop living an urban life
the technologies available today also
seem to indicate
that we can now live and work
well back in the late 1980s scholars had
actually predicted the deaths of cities
with the event of ict
today cities are where more than half of
the world’s populations live
and they generate more than 80 percent
of global gdp
technology is not replacing cities and
one of the main reasons
is because face-to-face interaction is
important we’re seeing a rising trend of
remote working during this pandemic
but this is likely made possible because
people have already built the personal
relationships
and learned the tacit knowledge working
offline so far
you might say well it seems like i can
get everything
ordered online these days even the
groceries and meals
and get them delivered to my door well
but think about it
this whole delivery system works because
we live in close proximity to one
another
making deliveries a profitable business
the benefit of concentrating people and
economic activities
is way too great
and the deadly diseases that have wiped
out cities before
such as the black death of the 14th
century
and the spanish flew in the early 20th
century
which by the way infected the one-third
of world’s population
did not deter the growth of cities at
all
cities are very resilient and they will
not be disappearing anytime
soon yet changes can take place
if history teaches us anything it is
that pandemics come and go
but cities persist and can even advance
with the lessons learned from the
pandemic experience
for example a yellow fever outbreak in
philadelphia in 1793
led to the development of municipal
water works
it also allows cities to see the
importance of public sanitation
and throughout the following years
cities in the u.s carried out
major planning reforms and established
their sanitation departments
during the cholera outbreaks in the 19th
century
london realized that the disease was
caused by the contaminated water in the
city
leading to the development of modern
sewer system
in new york its iconic central park
was built to act as urban lungs and to
help supply clean water throughout the
city
with its big reservoirs
in paris the epidemics triggered
to the city’s massive renovation and
public works
and its chaotic and cramped slum streets
were replaced with wide boulevards
open public squares and of course a new
solar system
the epidemics in the 19th century taught
cities to transform themselves
into a modern city with new urban
development
urban infrastructure developments and
much improved public sanitation
then what can our cities today
learn from the coronavirus pandemic
i’m sure there are many interesting
ideas out there but i would like to
share with you the following three
points
the first point is that the covet 19 is
exposing the urban
inequality as the major problem that
needs to be sold by cities today
kovind 19 is actually thriving in
unequal societies
that have people living in subpar
conditions
for example imagine that you’re living
in an urban slum
with limited access to clean water the
most
basic prevention of washing your hands
as frequently as possible
can seem like a luxury that you cannot
afford right
also practicing social distancing seem
almost impossible
when you’re living in these cramped
spaces sharing a room with others
often the entire family
toilets are highly insufficient and one
toilet could be shared
by as many as hundreds and if not
thousands of slum dwellers
we just imagine briefly what it might be
like to face this
kovite 19 for 1 billion people out there
living in slums today
for those of you from more advanced
countries i’m sure you’re witnessing how
covet 19
is exposing some of the entrenched urban
inequalities in your society
in the case of singapore the city was
once hailed as the gold
standard in managing covet 19.
its situation quickly turned sour when
virus outbreaks
started to take place in overcrowded
dormitories of foreign workers
tucked away and hidden from this
beautiful urban landscape of singapore
the congested living quarters of
temporary foreign migrant workers
became the city’s epicenter of
coronavirus
in seoul its major outbreak in a call
center
reveal the cramped working spaces
without windows
and other precarious working conditions
driven by the cut through competition
among the subcontracting call centers
and of course in the u.s its racial
inequity
is being highlighted with much higher
number
of latinos and blacks catching the virus
than the whites
who can afford to work from home using
conference calls
who has to take crowded transport and go
to the crowded workplace
whose jobs are being lost because of
this convict 19
and who has a better chance of coming
back once the pandemic is over
automation is nothing new for sure yet
kovin 19 is speeding up this process
replacing many of the jobs in especially
those in lower skilled manufacturing and
service sectors
without dedicated policy measures
inequality is expected to worsen
significantly
if the 19th century epidemics have
revealed unsanitary urban environment as
a problem to be addressed
i say that the coronal virus pandemic is
trying to teach us
that the cities have to get together and
solve this urban inequality problem
as the cities in the past have come up
with then innovative planning solutions
to become a modern city i hope that the
cities today
can find creative and workable policy
solutions
to become an equitable and inclusive
city
my second point is that the cities are
learning to connect with each other
with compassion and solidarity during
the copied 19.
so this kind of resonates with what dean
mentioned earlier this morning as well
i want to especially share this story
when tegu was hit hard by the kovind 19
in early march
he was struggling to find enough
hospital best to
hospitalize his increasing number of
patients
guangzhou was the very first city that
voluntarily
offered to bring and treat patients from
taku
the city of tegu remembered this
kindness and reciprocated in early july
when guangzhou began to now face the
sudden increase
of fiscal view 19 cases
i find this story particularly
heartwarming
because the two cities represent the two
regions in south korea
that have been politically somewhat
conflicting for decades
the city to city support extends beyond
borders as well
in early february before its own
outbreak taekwo has sent face mask to
ohan
and in march wuhan and a few other
chinese cities
sent face masks and other protective
medical equipment
to taku showing their support
cities are also connecting a more formal
network
the metropolitan government of seoul
launched a global summit called
cities against covet 19. to build
platform of collaboration and solidarity
it brought together mayors
and experts online of course to share
the covet 19 response strategies
c-40 cities which is a global network of
mega-cities to fight climate change
also convened mayors from all around the
world to discuss the ways to fight the
school vit19 and to share the lessons
learned so far
it seems like while de-globalization is
going on or
the talk about de-globalization is going
on the cities are ever more
strengthening
their international ties and trying to
collaborate
to fight this crisis together
covet 19 of course brought out the worst
in us in some ways
people fought over toilet papers racial
attacks have been increasing in a number
of cities
and plenty of blames and accusations
were being made
yet it is also bringing out the good in
us
we’re seeing the rise of compassion
mutual support
and collaboration cities are especially
showing us that they’re capable of
building solidarity
moving political beyond political
differences historical animosities
and even ideological tensions
i hope this trend can carry forward with
cities realizing the power of
cooperation
over competition if cities can come
together
build strong urban network both
domestically and globally
i think we’ll have a better chance of
building a better future
in our new urban world
so in today’s globalization cities have
been considered as the main economic
engines of growth
and their development has been much
driven by the
global capital investments right
and cities themselves have been in a
competitive race to build the tallest
skyscrapers and iconic mega projects
to catch the global tension and to
basically fulfill and meet the interests
of the global capital
but covent 19 is absolutely putting on
hold
this fast and massive development in
cities
those of us who are used to the busy and
hectic urban lifestyles
are also forced to slow down
it’s very happy days for puppies
actually
as we look for grocery shops within
walking distance
and search for nearby parks to take a
stroll
see the clear blue skies in one of the
heavily polluted cities
we are beginning to question whether
cities can
and should be different there is now an
increasing
interest in smaller scale planning of
urban communities
that could allow for more local
lifestyle even in big cities
city leaders are seeking to encourage
more cycling and walking
and to provide greater access to green
pathways
and the 15-minute city launched by the
mayor of paris
is getting much attention the basic idea
is to build self-sufficient
neighborhoods where you can find
everything you need
within just 15 minutes of walking or
cycling from your home
crisis can be an opportunity that pushes
us
to be more creative make difficult
decisions
and to take necessary actions for change
if we take a positive spin on this the
covet 19
could be the much needed impetus for
cities to finally
and fully commit to the sustainable
development goals
and to respond to the climate change
it is an emergency break that makes
cities to pause
and regroup and to take full charge
of their future development path how our
cities will change after kovite 19
will depend on what we decide to do now
and whether or not we fully commit to
concrete actions
it is our responsibility to connect
and work together to leave a meaningful
legacy
when our future generations look back at
how our cities changed after covet 19
what will they say what do you want them
to say
thank you
you