Over the past few months, the world has endured floods, heatwaves, droughts, fires and many events due to climate change’s impacts. Some commentators state that these events have been part of living with ‘nature’ for decades and that we have to live with them. However, many are starting to ask, Is it time to retreat? Can communities […]
How will our cities change after COVID-19?
There are many things that pre-COVID-19 that we took as “normal†such as going into the office every day, travelling on public transport, eating lunch out and shopping late. Many city streets have been empty for several weeks with governments planning for opening up the current restrictions to allow people to return to work, shop […]
How will COVID-19 change our perceptions?
Over the past few weeks, we have seen the perceptions of risk and safety change from simple physical (social) distancing and washing hands to complete lockdowns. Social distancing is a term that many of us didn’t know until recently and it is this mitigation method that has had a major immediate impact on cities. As […]
Accessible Community Facilities are key to making great cities
The National (local UAE newspaper) reported that the Urban Planning Council surveyed 10,882 households in Abu Dhabi and found that communities lacked community facilities and services such as parks, playgrounds, shopping and restaurants (See graph above). What this shows is an pro-active government surveying the population and determining what the residents need. People who live […]