Though cities and urban environments have historically been the epicenter of infectious disease, most urban residents of today have never had to experience with an outbreak of the current pandemic scale. Within a short span of time, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pervasive urban and social issues in underserved neighborhoods across the Globe, highlighting disparities in access to open and green space, healthcare, pharmacies, food, and critical equipment such as masks.
“Public health and social resilience are emerging as key urban design and planning imperatives,” says Cooper Robertson’s Palta. “As cities respond to the current situation and prepare for the future, our goal is to stimulate dialogue and innovative ideas addressing important questions raised by the pandemic: What does a healthy and resilient neighborhood look like in terms of disaster preparedness as well as physical and emotional wellbeing, and how can you realize these concepts equitably in the built environment?
This course explores building a conceptual framework for urban resilience through the lens of urban form and density. It aims to explore new ideas on how planning can respond to the unpredictable new conditions that urban life may bring.