Biotic systems as a critical urban infrastructure during crisis: learning from the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed the way urban resilience and wellbeing are viewed. The duration of the pandemic is currently unknown, but it could potentially be less challenging to address than future crises driven by climate change. This commentary uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a lens to determine how cities might provide a good quality of life during times of crisis. It explores how cities could be changed to maintain comfort and wellbeing during hard times, through the integration of biotic systems – i.e. green infrastructure that can be smelled, touched, and heard – at varying scales throughout cities.