“Many Asian cities have seen a relatively fast return to public transport. There are a couple of things that those cities have done right. One is that they’ve flattened the curve – flattening the curve really does make people feel safer using public transport. The second thing is that they’ve made sure commuters wear masks. The third thing has been very visible cleaning: seeing people making surfaces safe for passengers is a good way of restoring public trust in that infrastructure.”
In a previous WBEF webinar, Emma Gilthorpe, COO of Heathrow Airport made a similar observation: “I think people want to physically see cleaning happening. They don’t just want to know that a terminal was cleaned over night; they will take confidence from seeing somebody with a spray and cloth.”
For commuters in the post-Covid-19 world, the cleanliness of mass transit networks will have to be seen to be believed.
Localism and community have taken on a new importance
The modern metropolis can be an alienating place, but throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, and from cities across the world, we’ve heard stories of a resurgent and triumphant community spirit. Neighbours have become friends, and small businesses have discovered new, hyper-localised customer bases. Through a series of surveys undertaken by Gehl, Helle Søholt now has hard evidence to support these anecdotes.
“What we have seen is a tremendous revival of neighbourhoods. A lot of traditional city centres have effectively closed down; activity has dropped between 60 and 90%. But activity levels in neighbourhoods has grown by up to 35%. The cities that are doing best are the ones that have great social connections, where people know each other and help each other. I think this new localism is one of the things that we can further strengthen in resiliency strategies of the future.”
For Tim Neal, this is all cause for great optimism. “People know now that health, wellbeing and nature are really important. They appreciate local trades and this new, authentic community spirit. Political leaders, corporate leaders, essential workers, surveyors, designers, architects: we all understand better what’s best for our bodies, our minds and our businesses. A refreshed approach to life, work and accommodation, and a stronger lifestyle ecosystem: that vision is becoming stronger. Our professionals really want to go after that and deliver it.”