Positive Outcomes in Planning due to Covid-19

Introduction
COVID-19 has had undeniable and horrific consequences on people’s lives and the economy. With sickness, death and unemployment rates soaring almost everywhere on our planet, it is easy to despair.

Ten (10) positive outcomes related to Covid-19
1. The Environment – Planet Earth
The first positive aspect of COVID-19 is the effect on the environment.  Carbon emissions are down globally and with manufacturing and air travel grinding to a halt, the planet has had a chance to rejuvenate. China recorded an 85 per cent increase in days with good air quality in 337 cities between January and March. With tourists gone from Italy, the long-polluted canals of Venice now appear clear as fish and other wildlife start returning.

2. People want to be Outside
People want to be outside more – to walk, to dine, to work and to enjoy recreation. Outdoor dinning is being created in temporary and permanent settings. Being outdoors is healthy. Green outdoor parks, trails, streets and all are important to fighting Covid 19.

3. Innovation (Growing Economic Development)
COVID-19 is a major market disruptor that has led to unprecedent levels of innovation. Due to the lockdown, so many businesses have had to reinvent themselves with a new 'business as unusual' philosophy. Many businesses have had to undergo rapid digitalization and offer their services online. Some could use this wave of innovation to reimagine their business model and change or grow their market.

4. Reimagined Education
The fourth positive outcome is massive transformation in education. True, most of it was not by choice. With schools closing down all around the world, many teachers are digitalizing the classroom, offering online education, educational games and tasks and self-led learning. We are globally involved in one of the largest-scale experiments in changing education at all levels. Home-schooling is becoming the new way of learning, exposing many parents to what their children know and do.

5. Practice Better Hygiene
Times have changed, and people are now aware of how important it is to keep yourself clean. As social animals, the very engineering of humans is the ability to emote & connect with fellow beings. That’s not going to change, and that’s something we cannot change. But these recent times have made us all aware of how to do that more hygienically.

6. Remote Working Turning Mainstream / The New Work Environment?
With cities periodically locking down, organizations across the globe had to make this obligatory shift towards remote work. A partially remote environment sometimes hinders you from reaping all the benefits of remote working. Quarantines in certain areas have forced all businesses to go 100% remote. This has helped the teams to learn how to trust each other. Companies are also getting into a culture where they trust the integrity of their employees & that they will work even when there’s no one to look over their shoulders every now and then. Well, then, the future of work after COVID-19 definitely looks good!

7. Better Use of Free Time
Nearly a third (32%) of Americans mentioned ways that the pandemic has limited what activities they can engage in or how they otherwise use their free time. These responses often focused on being stuck at home or being unable to travel and were especially common among older adults. At the same time, roughly a quarter of Americans (26%) used the question as an opportunity to talk about ways their daily lives have improved, in many cases describing a slower pace of life, new hobbies, more time to get things done around the house or the freedom to simply relax in ways that were not possible in the pre-pandemic era.

8.   Greater Investment in Health Care
As an example, Colombia had 5,400 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) last January. Today it has 7,279, a figure that is likely to continue to increase. The number of ventilators has also increased substantially. A similar trend can be seen in other countries in the region. After the pandemic is over, there will be more hospital beds in a region that was below global standards in this area.

9.  Unnecessary Travel
Aversion to unnecessary travel and meetings. The pandemic has highlighted the time we waste traveling, not to mention the economic costs associated with it. Video conferencing technology is now a much more acceptable and friendly substitute. We will have more efficient and cost-effective meetings with colleagues, clients and suppliers.

10. Better Air Flow - Buildings
There is a great desire to assure buildings have windows that open for healthy air movement. This is very important in residential development.

Roundtable Discussion

Q&A with Audience (15 min)