Land (Journal)

Chen, Y. (Editor)
Wang, T. (Editor)
Yunqing Xu (Editor)
Yan Liu (Editor)

Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial activity

Description

Land Special Issue: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban planning, design & management

Period	30 Nov 2022 → 29 Feb 2024
Type of journal	Journal
ISSN	2073-445X
Degree of Recognition	International

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
spatial redistribution
public space
inequality
inclusiveness
resilience
digitalization
drive/catalyst for innovation
knowledge
co-creation

Documents & Links

The COVID-19 pandemic which started in 2020 brought enormous disruption to our everyday lives and plunged the world into an unprecedented health, economic, social and geopolitical crisis (Schmidt 2021). Drastic measures including lockdowns, staying at home, restricting movement in public spaces as well as social distancing were temporarily adopted to stop the transmission, which directly or indirectly put pressure on our urban way of life. With half of the world's population asked to stay at home at certain moments, the world witnessed the striking images of empty city streets and public gathering places in dense international metropolitan regions and smaller cities and towns. Urban functions with large-scale gatherings, such as tourism, sport and cultural events and short or long-distance travelling were cancelled or postponed. Various technical and management measures were explored to address the transmission risks and allow urban activities to resume (Chen 2022). Virtual interaction and digital infrastructure became necessary means for working, education and even communication in urban life. In the academic world, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic not only prompted a critical review of the current urban system but also a renewed interest in current planning, design and management of the urban environment. Some studies, for example, recognized the limitations of current design in housing, green space, land use and mobility to adapt to the pandemic situation and protect public health (Askarizad and He 2022; Nosczyk et al. 2022; Corazz et al. 2021). Given that knowledge has been accumulated to deal with risks during the pandemic, it is critical to explore the connection between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the vulnerability of the urban system in our society and the inequality exposed in the distribution of space resources within society. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic also stimulates the exploration of innovative thinking and advanced technological adaptation from diverse societal forces to create a more sustainable and inclusive living environment in the post-pandemic world. This new development could be accelerated by COVID-19 or become more important under the new complex context, although transitions may have begun a long time before the pandemic. Every crisis in history has represented an opportunity for change. To prepare for the change, it is essential to have a deeper understanding of the impacts the current health crisis brought to society and the built environment, the adaptive strategies to cope with the pandemic, the vulnerability of the current urban system and what opportunities can be explored to create a more sustainable, healthier and more inclusive built environment. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes research that explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban planning, design and management in terms of creating, constructing, developing and transforming the urban environment from a range of perspectives and focuses, including: The impact of the pandemic on the design, planning, development, construction and management of the urban environment The challenges of climate change, economic crisis, and current geopolitical struggle intertwined with the drawn-out pandemic and their influence on the use, design, planning, development and change of the urban environment. The change in societal perception of the sustainable development of the urban environment before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic How do architects, planners, developers, city managers and societal forces address these challenges, and foster innovation in the daily use of public space and the built environment? Various technology-driven and intelligent elements of transition or innovation related to the built environment that help cope with the pandemic crisis Governance and institutional issue related to planning, design, development and management of urban space that deal with the health crisis Citizen participation and co-production/co-creation in the built environment and in the post-pandemic era In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Specific themes this Special Issue hopes to investigate in the context of urban planning, design and management in the built environment include, but are not limited to, the following: Healthy city, sustainable city, smart city and eco-city Sustainable development of urban environment Land, financialization and spatial resource distribution Spatial inequality, gentrification and segregation associated with pandemic Housing for vulnerable groups, housing affordability Public space in post-pandemic Energy transition Megaprojects Mega events and event-led urban development Digitalization