There is a very big problem here. On the one hand, cities and metropolitan areas are the powerhouses of economic growth, contributing more than 60% of global GDP, yet on the other hand they also account for around 70% of global carbon emissions and more than 60% of resource use, according to UN data.
The growth of cities is immense. It is estimated that by 2030, more than 60% of the world's population will be living in cities. But this growth is being run over and disorderly.
Neighbourhoods and population centres are being created around cities with very few services and in many cases poor hygienic measures. Too many people crowded together in unsafe places is causing that the few infrastructures and services available become stretch and overburden (such as waste collection and water and sanitation systems, roads and transport).
Of course the impact of the pandemic has been most devastating in the poorest and most densely populated urban areas, "especially for the 1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums around the world, where overcrowding also makes it difficult to comply with recommended measures such as social distancing and self-isolation," the UN specifies.
Cities' high levels of global and local interconnectivity make them particularly vulnerable to epidemics and viruses, as they have always been throughout history. The great pandemics, cholera, plague, Spanish flu, each and every one has found cities the perfect place to thrive, grow strong and claim thousands upon thousands of victims.
The Policy Brief: COVID-19 in an Urban World, published by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasises that the most vulnerable sectors of urban societies are being particularly affected, both by the incidence of the virus and by the economic impact that the pandemic has left in its wake.
In addition, the Danish Institute for Human Resources specifies that cities are severely affected by sharp declines in productivity, employment and incomes, and the effects of this reach far beyond city limits.
Homelessness as a consequence of the many evictions has increased significantly during the covid-19 crisis as a consequence of the employment and livelihood crisis.
The OECD and the Aquae Foundation have published a report, Cities Policy Responses, in which they argue that the world's cities must adopt long-term recovery strategies that transform them into smart, green and inclusive cities and hubs to cope with the crisis triggered by the pandemic.
They should invest in planning their space and restarting their economic growth by including concepts such as "circular economy", or "tactical urbanism".
According to Aziza Akhmouch, Head of the Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD and member of the Strategy Council of the Aquae Foundation, "Life after covid-19 is life with covid-19, hence the need to rebuild cities in the long term, based on a new approach to urban spaces that takes better care of different needs and changes in mobility and accessibility to services. This crisis can provide a unique opportunity for city dwellers and urban planners to drastically rethink their consumption, production and travel paradigm from the ground up".
But this crisis must also be treated as what it is, an opportunity to turn our cities into greener and more sustainable places. This also means investing in sectors with high green and digital transformation and job creation potential, as well as developing and implementing resilience plans to improve preparedness for disasters or future pandemics.
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