Post Pandemic Urbanism: Evolving Trends and their Impact on the Built Environment

By John Rufo

Writing for WIRED Magazine, David Wolman recently said, “…the pandemic’s most valuable lesson, should we finally be willing to receive it, is that the very concept of elsewhere is a fiction. It is naive to think of other places as disconnected from our own geography, our own lives.  Where matters—absolutely. But it’s also true that we all live right here. Together”. As architects and planners of space and place, we’re beginning to think about what priorities might rise to the surface as we design our cities and towns in a post-pandemic, or more likely, post “curve-flattened” world.

There have been several through-line trends in the past decade that we’ve written about in this blog which have both pointed toward hope for a more equitable world and spoken to an evolving participation in civic life, connectivity and it’s opposite – social isolation. These trends have their own sense of continuity over time while they also evolve and react to the moment at hand. As we reflect on issues related to the pandemic, three themes emerge.

The Evolution of Density  

Sustainable density as a current trend in urban development is generally hailed as an important model for future growth. One wonders however whether the ongoing specter of a highly contagious virus will be seized upon by density skeptics to push back on the assumption that it’s the right model. But could it also present the opportunity for a middle ground in which to propose another kind of new urbanism? Somewhere between the unsustainable model of the classic American suburb and the high-density development of residential towers could exist a medium density, nodal development, capable of stitching together the scale of surrounding neighborhoods, while sustainably redeveloping underutilized sites and derelict brownfields.

The spate of new medium density, mixed-use developments set to come out of the ground over the next five years in Newton at Riverside, Needham Street and the Washington Street Corridor will ultimately test the public’s comfort level with living, working and shopping in these environments, post-pandemic. These projects each make significant investments in public realm amenities as well as those for residents and workers. It will be interesting to see just how much the community is willing to engage in the public enhancements of these projects and how residents will feel about occupying exterior open spaces, vs. more intimate spaces such as club rooms, roof patios, fitness rooms, communal kitchens, bars etc. One of the great trends in placemaking around these types of projects has been the inclusion of public open space designed for flexible programming. But will continued social distancing at some level lead to a different understanding of “safe public gathering”? Will large communal spaces be eschewed in favor of smaller gathering spots where we can be with people that we know? Or might small spaces feel too crowded in the new normal?

Northland Newton Development

The New Volunteerism

Back in October of 2019, which seems like a century ago, we wrote about Robert Grimm’s exploration of the rate of volunteerism as a metric for how connected people feel to their community. In the current predicament of social distancing amidst a deadly pandemic we have all seen and been a part of the voluntary efforts to make masks, donate funds, distribute food, and do countless other small and heroic deeds that help flatten the curve and help our families and neighbors stay safe. Most of these efforts are focused on basic human needs of health, food, shelter and safety. It’s heartwarming and it represents some of the best of what humanity has to offer.

Now Imagine this energy of volunteerism being poured into a post pandemic urban society to address the small and large planning issues of how our cities are designed and how it impacts our neighbors and the community at large. When we go back to work and back to school there will be myriad of competing issues to solve and hours to log in just catching up or rebuilding. As architects, we wonder if a higher awareness of the role of volunteerism will become more ingrained in daily life and impact the public discourse around design and the connective tissues it helps to sow in the community.

Having been largely deprived of the well-established social norms of public life, will people also see more clearly the direct connection between the design of great places and daily social wellbeing? Are they more likely to volunteer time to efforts like Area Vision Plans and Community Design Charettes? One can imagine a more engaged populace with a new sense of empathy and gratitude for the things that their community provides, wanting to help shape the community more actively. It’s possible that our DNA might literally be changed by this and that a desire for sustained human kindness will need a place to be focused. One of those places can and should be on the design of our cities and other places that impact our daily lives.

Geography and Personal Boundaries

In response to David Wolman’s comment “that we all live right here. Together.” we can’t help but feel that the new “raised consciousness of what is going on around you” will serve as a catalyst for design engagement. Some of us embrace globalism as an ultimate good while others look at it more skeptically, seeing sustained cultural regionalism as a celebration of our differences and as recognition of geographic, climate and environmental diversity. While the two are not mutually exclusive, it is important to recognize what this moment has done to our perception of space across all scales of public life.

While we like to think about design and planning across a continuum of contexts and scales, we also suddenly have a hyper-curiosity about what is going on in our immediate proximity. How many people in my town have this virus? How many people on my street? Is it in my household? This kind of constant awareness of our immediate perceived boundaries will of course impact how people think about, and possibly guard, their personal space. It therefore stands to reason that people might also be more aware, engaged and vocal about local issues, local development and what development proposals put forth as it relates to private and public space.

In Jan Gehl’s seminal book, Cities for People, he wrote that “Wherever people stay for a while, they seek out places along the edges of the space.” Probably he was not thinking of it in the context of a global pandemic. While the more intimate qualities of the edges of urban space will remain inviting, you wonder if people’s comfort with occupying them will. And if they do occupy those spaces, what are the queues and signals that allow them to feel comfortable and safe? Maybe it is in the details. It seems as we shelter in place, we are all gaining a new appreciation for how important the small details are in our immediate surroundings. While it is troubling to imagine a design imperative to push benches farther apart or not provide moveable seating in a great space like Bryant Park in New York City, you might imagine that the focus on ergonomic and aesthetic detailing of such places might take on new importance. In short, what does appreciation for smaller more intimate places begin to look like while necessarily giving us all just a little more space? What will become of great public spaces like the Boston Public Library or Grand Central Station? And what will become of that great interior design trend in cafes, the communal table?

Conclusion

Time needs to pass and a great deal of events need to play out before we can expect answers to these conjectures. The fact is, it’s difficult to estimate in advance what our appetite for change will be after a siezmic event of this magnatude. At Form + Place, our hope is for a more empathic and engaging world that pays attention to the small details and savors the times that we come together in community to debate our past and render our broader future. Designers, developers, institutions and municipalities will play important roles. We will continue to make plans, large and small. Engaged citizens, a little more nervous about their personal space and a little more intent on shaping the world around them, will continue to participate in a public process. Together we will continue to shape the built environment in a way that recognizes a new reality and brings with it the spirit of a newly connected community.