Big Cities Debate

July 21, 2020

00:00:00

Big Cities Debate

Be it resolved, COVID-19 and its social and economic fall out spells the end of the big city boom.

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the globe, but it’s our cities that have felt the greatest impact. Research shows that 95% of people infected with the virus live in urban areas. Supporters of big city living say people have been too quick to blame density as the culprit behind contagion. They say the pandemic offers us the chance to address the more complex issues that drive infection to build a new generation of inclusive cities where everybody want to live. Critics of big cities say the pandemic has exposed the flaws in contemporary urban planning which have emphasized the virtues of density and mass transit at the expense of safety and people’s lives. They argue that as our hyperconnected world moves into an era of ongoing pandemics, de-densification is the only way to go.

“The biggest challenge for cities will be the exodus of jobs because of remote work. Cities are going to be competing with the suburbs for talent.”

– Joel Kotkin

“Cities have survived much worse than this pandemic, but COVID-19 is a wake up call for us to rebuild our cities in ways that are more equitable, more inclusive, and that support middle-class families.”

– Richard Florida