Urban Design and Town Planning in response to COVID-19

This paper offers a Human Factors and Ergonomic & Sociotechnical Systems (HFE & STS) methodology to assist in the exploration and description of COVID-19 lockdown impacts on public spaces in Queensland, Australia. The approach utilises an existing - before COVID - systems model of an archetype public space to identify activities that were restricted in public space, and how such restrictions affect system performance. First an overview of the HFE & STS system modelling approach, Cognitive Work Analysis, is provided and we present the systems model of an archetype public space. Next, the range of lockdown restrictions on public space activity are identified in the model and the system's implications on community and individual wellbeing are explored. In conclusion, the necessity for new activities and functions of public space, post COVID-19, are reflected upon and considered from a systems standpoint.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the way in which the community interacts within public spaces. Consequently, the design of these urban environments requires new approaches. It is our view that Human Factors and Ergonomics approaches can be used to provide these insights. This article explores the opportunities for making public spaces safer and more accessible for community use under pandemic conditions. The study utilizes a sociotechnical systems model of an archetype public space, developed pre‐COVID‐19, to explore the infrastructure and activities that are impacted by the introduction of the virus to the public space system. The aim was to identify those elements of the system that are completely unavailable under pandemic conditions, those elements that become limited in use, and those which remained unaffected by the presence of the virus. The findings show that under pandemic conditions pre‐COVID‐19 public spaces were surprisingly resilient with proportionally few elements within the model completely unavailable. They also demonstrate that overall, the public spaces system, while still operating, is significantly constrained in achieving and optimizing community and individual health and well‐being. The insertion of five (5) urban design interventions within the system model presented unique insights into the possibilities for optimizing adaptive capacity. These interventions revealed design opportunities across several levels of the systems model. Such insights are argued to assist in not only re‐establishing community access under pandemic conditions but also more inclusive access to a broader range of the community under all conditions.

Este artigo apresenta uma análise do impacto do COVID-19 nos espaços públicos e a necessidade de integrar medidas de segurança em todo o processo de projeto urbano. Adotamos uma abordagem de Ergonomia e Fatores Humanos e Sistemas Sociotécnicos (HFE & STS), com base no modelo 'ideal' de espaço público previamente desenvolvido para Queensland (Austrália). Com base nesse modelo, analisamos (1) o modelo de espaços públicos em Queensland durante o isolamento resultante do COVID-19-e as funções que deixaram de existir-e (2) o modelo de espaço público no pós-terremoto de Christchurch (Nova Zelândia). Embora a pandemia e o terremoto pareçam significativamente diferentes em um primeiro momento, as duas situações são semelhantes no sentido de que, em ambos os casos, a densidade se torna um problema. Consideramos a pandemia como um 'desastre lento' (quando a adaptação é fundamental, mas a mudança a longo prazo é opcional) e o terremoto como um 'desastre rápido' (quando a mudança é a única opção) e, baseado nesse contexto, consideramos que há lições a serem aprendidas com 'desastres rápidos' as quais podem auxiliar na resiliência urbana a longo prazo. Em seguida, aplicamos o modelo 'ideal' ao estágio de recuperação de Christchurch pós-terremoto, onde identificamos novas funções e sua relação com a segurança-tanto percebida como real. Essas novas funções são refúgio urbano e espaço pessoal, conforto ambiental, otimização de rotas de mobilidade e saída, proteção contra o ambiente construído, maximização da paisagem.

https://theconversation.com/cities-will-endure-but-urban-design-must-adapt-to-coronavirus-risks-and-fears-135949