BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Next Normal has accelerated some paradigm shifts in the city landscape The Old Normal
Economic dependence on dense Commercial & Public Infrastructure development
“ Everything from Home ”
The New Normal
Focus on Digital Infrastructure & Open Public Spaces
Grow local ecosystem & opportunities to attract best talent
“ Work from Anywhere ”
Improve Quality of Life Metrics to retain talent
Public Health / Crisis Management is a ‘ Vertical / Gov ’ agenda
Need for integrated response
“ Whole of Society ” approach to Public Health and Next Gen crisis management
Digital Transformation is an investment with unproven ROI
Need for financial efficiency & growth
Digital Transformation is a key economic growth driver
How COVID-19 will change cities . Source : World Economic Forum
• New tenants could include universities expanding their remit to help support workers who lost their jobs and help them acquire new skills in high growth sectors – e . g . in the green economy , health and technology
• Other new tenants could include incubators sponsored by private business
• Local communities could be further served with a variety of new community centres
It concludes that high streets will need to be reimagined as cultural and recreational hubs that act as magnets for businesses and jobs that can transform less prosperous areas .
The World Economic Forum says ‘ a digital core ’ is integral to powering the cities of the future .
“ Smart cities are no longer simply a ‘ nice to have ’ but a choice that governments must proactively make to attract and retain talent , stay prepared for future crises and thrive ,” it states .
“ Cities need to build a digital foundation that can weave an integrated and seamless digital fabric across the public , private and citizen spheres . This will help them build a “ whole-of-society ” capability to not only respond and manage the next generation of crises but also to build a truly smart and efficient engine for growth .”
How COVID-19 is helping shape the city of the future | World Economic Forum ( weforum . org )
Planning for the future The UK Government unveiled its Planning for the Future white paper last August in a bid to streamline and modernise the planning process and improve outcomes on design and sustainability , as it acknowledged that the ‘ make-do-and-mend ’ approach is no longer viable .
There is increasing acceptance that technology and infrastructure development need to be more integrated , not separate entities , and the pandemic has highlighted
constructionglobal . com 75