Beyond the crisis, a look at our cities and regions
The coronavirus pandemic is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. The crisis is disrupting our society and cities in ways that have not been seen for generations, and in some ways, hundreds of years. Millions of people are in precarious positions and the short – medium outlook for our economy is uncertain.
However, the crisis and the measures and tools that are being used to address it such as physical distancing, restrictions on movement and working and studying from home are generating opportunities to experiment and relook at our cities and regions in different ways – and hopefully create many positive changes and long lasting benefits for years to come.
Change in use and investment
One of the more noticeable changes has been our usage of movement infrastructure. In late March, Adelaide experienced a 56% reduction in traffic across the metropolitan road network[i]. Sydney recently experienced congestion levels that were 60% lower than the previous year.[ii] In other Australian cities, the number of vehicles on some major urban roads dropped between 27%-43%. [iii]
Public transport usage is also significantly down. In Sydney, recent public transport usage dropped by 75%. In Adelaide, public transport usage also dropped. As China emerges from the crisis, it has have found that people are not returning to public transport at the same rate as they are to cars. Rather than accept this, we should encourage and incentivise other forms of movement options that are more sustainable and healthier such as walking, cycling and scooters.
More broadly, if we continue to work and study from home and our movement infrastructure and services remain under capacity, a broader opportunity will emerge to reconsider the way we plan and invest in movement infrastructure going forward.
Whilst demand on movement infrastructure and services is down, demand on communications infrastructure is up. In March 2020, Optus experienced a 10% increase in network usage[iv]. The crisis has also revealed the limitation of our current networks, including connection deficiencies in regional areas and access and affordability issues for lower income households[v].
One of the key priorities going forward will be investment in universally affordable and accessible communications services and infrastructure.
Changes to our urban and regional areas
Working and studying from home is changing the way we use and live in our homes. It is placing additional demands on our living areas and increasing our energy consumption. Going forward, our homes will need to be better designed, more sustainable and more energy efficient. One trend that could emerge is purpose built and designed home offices. In new builds, home offices could be located at the front of the house to increase passive surveillance on the streets.
As we spend more time in and around our homes, our relationship to our neighbours and local neighbourhood will be more important. We will likely visit local parks and local places of recreation more often. It could also inspire the re-emergence of the corner shop – perhaps in a new form, one that stocks essential items but is also café that provides casual work spaces and meeting rooms. Our local neighbourhoods could become more dynamic and interesting in the future.
Working and studying at home could support a greater number and diversity of people participating in the workforce. At a macro level, this could support decentralisation and the re-invigoration of our regional towns and cities.
Should a future like this emerge, there are important questions to consider. What would become of our current commercial and education buildings and infrastructure? Would we have an oversupply of office and education space? Or would a lower number of workers and students be offset by a need to provide greater space for each person? These spaces will also need to adapt and be able to accommodate a more transient and less fixed worker and student population.
What would happen to our central business districts and places of commercial activity? What happens to our traders and activators if the number and density of workers and students declines? Perhaps we need to rapidly increase living populations in and around our business and commercial areas to maintain central viability and demand? Answers to these questions will begin to emerge in the near future.
However we move forward, we must continue to reduce our impacts on our climate and environment (to note, the Global Carbon Project is currently predicting a fall in global carbon emissions by up to 5% in 2020 as a result of the crisis). We must also continue to improve equity and access to services and outcomes and increase the diversity, connectivity, complexity and competitiveness of our cities and regions.
A note for Adelaide and South Australia
In the immediate term, we need bold and proactive cities and governments that understand the risks of inaction and are prepared to curtail infectious diseases immediately.
Cities that plan, act and invest in healthy and safe environments will become beacons for talent and investment in the years to come.
As we have seen over the past two to three months, Adelaide and South Australia has met the challenge and is now ready to emerge from the crisis. With our innovative spirit, creativity and collectivism, Adelaide and South Australia is ready to thrive in the new world.
[i] https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/coronavirus-cuts-down-adelaides-traffic-by-up-to-half-as-people-work-from-home/news-story/68da7c4a15340a8b4b306696e7ae54cc
[ii] https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-s-peak-hour-traffic-congestion-falls-55-per-cent-20200324-p54daa.html
[iii] https://www.smh.com.au/national/huge-falls-on-australia-s-toll-roads-amid-covid-19-crisis-20200401-p54fzt.html
[iv] https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-s-peak-hour-traffic-congestion-falls-55-per-cent-20200324-p54daa.html.
[v] https://indaily.com.au/news/2020/04/08/poor-internet-access-in-regional-sa-raises-online-learning-questions/