Cities

How can we improve our access to the real-time information that helps cities survive a crisis? What can urban planners do to reduce the impact of a crisis on disadvantaged communities? How should public services be designed to cope with surges in demand?

We wanted to investigate how lockdowns and the pandemic, restricting people’s movements to their neighbourhoods, highlighted the benefits and shortcomings of those neighbourhoods and the possible consequences for future design.

In the UK there is a clear political commitment to accelerate growth and increase opportunity beyond London and the South East. Levelling-up the North of England is a top priority, and we have three calls to action for 2021.