Foster + Partner – Bruno Moser, Theo Malzieu, Paula Petkova. May 2020: “The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the way we live our lives. Significant and long-lasting repercussions will be felt across society and industry, many of which are sure to influence the way we approach the design of our buildings and cities. Over the past few weeks, the Urban Design team at Foster + Partners has been exploring how recent and fast moving developments in urban planning – instigated and encouraged by the current crisis – will affect and shape the future of our home city and others worldwide. Only a few months ago, the changes sweeping our social, economic and political spheres were considered unfathomable: social isolation, working and studying from home, and the scientific overture of daily political briefings. While some of the emergency measures will be scaled back as the infection curves flatten, others will remain in place for the foreseeable future. As the response to the pandemic now enters its next stage, we are exploring how we can harness this crisis to bring about positive change in cities. With a specific foc

See also Strong Towns: The Case for Tactical Urbanism in the Age of Coronavirus – “…The Commuters Trust Program is a positive outlier from South Bend, Indiana that powerfully reflects how tactical urbanism promotes tangible, concrete and visual progress in addressing complex policy challenges. A recent study identified that a lack of reliable transportation was a significant barrier to employment for one out of three workers in the region. Rather than agonize over designing and implementing a comprehensive policy program to overhaul the entire transportation system, Mayor Pete and his administration spearheaded a pilot program that “offers discounted Lyft rides and a free Transpo bus pass to selected employees…our goal is to help workers with transportation challenges get to work.” Over a four month period, the absentee rate decreased by 29% among the 155 program participants according to the program’s Phase I report…”