Last week I blogged about an article I read in the Guardian on how the Covid-19 pandemic will change the cities we live in.

I recently read a further article in the Architectural Digest about how the design and operation of cities will also change. 

Whether it is an increase in automation in public places or existing technology and materials in the medical world being put to use in our homes and places of work, there is no doubt that the next few weeks of 2020 will leave a long lasting impression on our cities.   

New ways of procuring and developing infrastructure and housing will also become the norm.   The unbelievable conversion of London's Excel into NHS Nightingale shows the ability of the UK construction industry to flex and adapt in a very short period of time.

Finally, it also raises one very interesting conflict in the context of cities and the built environment.   How do you balance the need for urban density (which is increasing) with the need to socially distance.   This is an issue that I suspect many involved in designing and building our cities will be wrestling with for many years to come.