How Covid Pandemic Could Reshape Life in Our Cities

Context: Cities being the economic and social engines of the nation must be made more technological efficient, localised and inclusive in post covid era.

Economic Efficiency of Cities

• Economic Efficiency as a function of population density: Maximize specialization by relying on their large populations to offer multitude of special services to large consumer base.
• Base of economic prosperity of cities: highly specialized individual production, super-efficient supply chains, and a high degree of mutual interdependence.

Covid-19  and Impact on Cities

• Densely populated cities are worst sufferers (Mumbai, Milan, Madrid, London and New York City).
• Urban work culture to be replaced with work from home environment.

Redesigning Cities Post Covid

• De-emphasizing work districts: promote local lifestyle that address the limited needs of the area’s proximate community.
• Technology-enhanced logistics solutions: for the delivery of hyperlocal products to the far corners of an urban area.
• Contactless service delivery: to preserve urban efficiency.
• Deployment of  autonomous means of transport (drones and autonomous electric vehicles) by municipal governments in small self-contained localities to strengthen social distancing.
• Eliminating physical touchpoints: Municipal governments should rely on digital platforms for service delivery. 

Way Forward

• Urban living efficiencies (access to basic services and quality healthcare) must not be ignored in post covid era and we should  learn to preserve the benefits of urban life while mitigating the harms.