From Transitions to Transformation: A Brief Review of the Potential Impacts of COVID-19 on Boosting Digitization, Digitalization, and Systems Thinking in the Built Environment

Abstract

In a short time, during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, we managed to shift rapidly to use digital technologies and replace some of our daily operations with virtual modes. This shift happened so instantly and widely that it enables us to argue that the COVID-19 became a valid reason to boost some of the gradual and ongoing transitions towards faster transformations. In this study, we use gray literature to delve into arguments around the boost for digitization, digitalization, and systems thinking in the development of the built environment. This is mostly discussed from the influence of COVID-19 on some of the existing practices or the business-as-usual of the built environment sector. From technological advancement to technology use, these arguments are put forward to discuss what is likely to be the major driver of technological adoption and the shifting paradigms that are yet to be revealed. The study concludes that the current push towards new directions and development pathways are likely to be widely accepted in a shorter time. The findings of this brief study feed into existing arguments on transformative pathways due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ICT applications and the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on the individual's digital data, digital privacy, and data protection

“…To date, we can confirm ICT platforms and applications have been beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trend has become transformative, boosting digitization and digitalization across many sectors (Cheshmehzangi, 2021a). But, we have to consider the eventual impacts of long-term data collection on the individuals' data protection.…”

“…Evidence shows the role of digital transformation and ICT being central to transitions for egovernance (Alalwan et al, 2021;Ghosh, 2021) and other sorts of etransitions (Cheshmehzangi, 2022). Much of what has occurred and is currently occurring is related to digitization and digitalization processes (Cheshmehzangi, 2021a) (Arshad, 2020) appraises the ICT professionals as it is believed the situation of the pandemic management is very much dependent on ICT use as common practice for our daily lives and activities. The telehealth demand trend is one example that shows ICT has been used for information sharing and information exchange (Wong et al, 2021).…”

“…In recent months, some of the ongoing studies have optimistically started focusing on the post-COVID-19 era, inclining toward the role of digital applications in enhancing the resilience and smartness of our systems (Siriwardhana et al, 2021;Tortorella et al, 2022;Ziemba and Eisenbardt, 2022). The socalled "digital push" (Gallistl and Seifert, 2021) results from the faster transformation that replaced some of, the earlier digital transitions (Cheshmehzangi, 2021a), which means the situation of the ICT applications has become much stronger than the time before the COVID-19 pandemic. Directions like contactless services and systems, integrated artificial intelligence, and facial recognition (Kim and Kim, 2021;Su et al, 2022) are a few examples that are now becoming common norms, which are boosted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Smart City EU - Lighthouse Projects – Investigation of Economic Benefits

“…The publications, therefore, show an increasing interest in transforming the physical environment and performance of a city into a digital level (Lyons, Mokhtarian, Dijst, & Böcker, 2018). While the Covid 19 crisis has accelerated this trend (see Cheshmehzangi, 2021), the trend towards more increased and innovative concepts for city development is an already on-going one, as De Dutta and Prasad (2020) or Balogun et al, (2020) explain. The Smart City approach, which is among the most outstanding concepts in addressing these changes, has a wide range of sub-research areas.…”

Commentary: Tracing Management and Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 Close Contacts in Cities Around Chengdu, China

“…To summarize briefly, we see changes that are likely to stay as the new normals. The boosted digitalization and digitization in the COVID-19 era (11) means new opportunities for data-based, data analytics, and data-driven methods for better governance and management of the pandemic (12). China's shift from datadriven approaches to multi-scalar contact tracing is an approach that is gone beyond just big data use.…”