New Healthy Settlements Responding to Pandemic Outbreaks: Approaches from (and for) the Global City

Abstract

The essay critically addresses several solutions and strategies for tackling urban inequalities to uphold the recent "right to the 'healthy' city" spatial paradigm based on early social science works by Emily Skinner and Jeffrey R. and then developed as a urban planning component by the interdisciplinary research group Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (2019). The authors propose a transdisciplinary approach in dealing with city renewal-regeneration and the safer use of its spaces. The interrelation between urbanism and architecture, including environmental design, mobility, and social relations, among others, would merge to imagine a more ecologically and socially balanced urban milieu. The paper analyses four specific case studies assumed as proper approaches in dealing with the pandemic, critically reflecting on the application of "Superblocks," "Tactical Urbanism," and "15-minute City" concepts by illustrating and comparing their application in three global cities (respectively Barcelona, Beijing, and Milan). In a nutshell, the authors demonstrate that these policies have their crucial feature in being effective applications formulated for different contexts, proposing successful strategies to overcome health, environment, and mobility issues in all the contemporary global cities.

Local Community Experience as an Anchor Sustaining Reorientation Processes during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures needed to contain it, citizens were able to only partially experience local open-air places, which were available for short, individual walks but not as venues for social gatherings, serendipitous encounters, or shared activities. This has implied substantial changes to how community life and places are lived and how community relationships and interactions may happen, highlighting the need for enhanced urban resilience [23]. Specifically, the need for further open-air places and scheduled access to indoor ones has increased in order to avoid overcrowding risks and respect social distancing [24][25][26].…”

Walkable City and Military Enclaves: Analysis and Decision-Making Approach to Support the Proximity Connection in Urban Regeneration

“…COVID-19 has apparently accelerated innovative measures aimed to redevelop the existing urban environment [43]. Despite being introduced in the pre-pandemic period, solutions such as the 15-min city [44], Superblocks [45,46] and Tactical urbanism [47] are being increasingly applied across the world [48]. It is claimed that they provide the 'Right to the City' [49], to deal with environmental issues and to address the impacts of climate change by providing a healthier and human-centered environment.…”

Spatio-Temporal Effects of Multi-Dimensional Urbanization on Carbon Emission Efficiency: Analysis Based on Panel Data of 283 Cities in China

“…In addition, some research believes that residents will have a lesser need for private transportation in rapidly urbanizing areas, thus reducing energy use and carbon emissions, leading to higher CEE [ 33 ]. Some studies have also discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on carbon emissions, as population consumption, travel, industrial production, and so on have been restricted during this period, especially in urban areas [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Capolongo et al argued that with the COVID-19 epidemic, national containment measures have changed the lifestyles of people and communities and significantly reduced air pollution, and CEE also increased during this period [ 37 ].…”