Student Post

1. https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2020/07/20/housing-covid-19-ebbs-and-flows-will-there-be-sea-change-cities-demographics

2. https://www.newamerica.org/weekly/covid-19-shows-we-need-more-urban-density-not-less/

3. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/07/21/how-could-covid-19-reshape-our-cities/

4. https://www.city-journal.org/understanding-crowding-and-covid

Respond to these 2 student post regarding the aritlces

Student 1

I've enjoyed this weeks readings and the correlation that was attempted to make that higher density areas were the reason for the rises in COVID 19, when in fact research shows that isn't the case.

As we dive into the readings and how cities are transforming the public land into more sustainable living for biking, walking, and consumption of food by way of expanding restaurants outdoors into he streets is a favorable action.  It is nice to see less cars on the road and more people being mindful of the pandemic and getting out with proper face coverings when needed.  

One article mentioned that the high density areas isn't where the concern should be but rather those in the suburbs, I admit that I agree with this hypothesis/thought.  I live in Folsom, CA about 25 minutes east of Sacramento.  Here in the suburbs you find many families and friends getting together and not abiding my the Governors orders, it is like everyone here believes they are immune to the virus.  That the virus only exists in those dense downtown living areas, even though we see a large outbreaks within retirement home living that are our neighbors.  It drives me nuts to see as soon as the ban of playground use was dropped that families flocked to the scene with their children as if the virus no longer existed!

I would love to see more developed of greenways, outdoor attractions that would engage people to get out and a more functional pathway to shop with walking distance of our homes.  I say all this because if I was going to stay in the suburbs I would want some of the city lifestyle at a lower cost in the burbs, but unfortunately I choose to one day move to the mountains where peace truly comes at a price.

Anyone else living in the suburbs? What is your community like?  An how are they dealing with the pandemic?

Student 2

This week’s discussion was to review four articles on the effects of COVID in relations to cities and the spread of the virus. The below paragraphs provide a summary of the articles and the author’s viewpoints. 

Sea Change in Cities

A very insightful article around the assumptions about the dangers of dense urban areas and the effects of COVID-19. The article utilized two major areas in many of their example, the two major areas were New York City (NYC) and Houston. In New York City (NYC), after early analysis, results showed that the culprit was not just the density of the city, but other things like overcrowding, particularly public transit and housing, not to mention response reaction rate to slow the spread of disease would have likely helped in the spread of the disease. The early numbers in NYC were during the early part of this pandemic were some of the highest in the country. Since that time the city’s numbers has took and maintained a downward trend. On the opposite side of the spectrum a city like Houston whose numbers were relatively low in the beginning has seen its number of pandemic cases increase dramatically. The major question that has analysts and scholars wondering is why? What really is the root cause? Is the correct motive behind moving from cities to the suburbs the right move? Proponents back items like density and over crowdedness. Opponents believe that downsizing to smaller cities are nothing new and that other reasons for such a move is there such as amenities and opportunities. Many believe the real reason for the ups and downs of this pandemic or spread of COVID-19 is mainly due to connectivity, not density and there is no evidence to show that whether you are in dense cities or sprawling areas that the populace would be immune to the virus. Another good article is: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/huge-covid-19-output-prompting-sea-change-access-research.

COVID-19 shows we need more urban density

Malcom Glenn wrote this article on the need for more density because of its efficiency and well-designed, better ways to utilize space to decrease housing costs, improve environmental outcomes, and help its populace stay more physically connected (Glenn, 2020). Furthermore, the article spoke to the correct response may not be to exodus to urban areas from the suburban communities that has been an offset response to COVID-19 pandemic. One of greatest benefit for more density is shared infrastructure, which with the right investment could drive decreases in rent prices, more rapid transit avenues and opportunities leading to decrease car dependency, and increase grocery stores to avoid food isolation (Glenn, 2020). The idea of quitting on more density may be a short-term benefit and band aid fix, but in the end may cause the long-term benefits of investing in more density, such as shared space, shared goods, and shared travel  nodes (Glenn, 2020). The most vulnerable communities were struggling before the pandemic and more density was solution to this challenge, but quitting on this objective would just make things more difficult for these communities. 

How COVID-19 could have reshaped our cities?

In this article by Henry Redman, the author believes that with bold policy decisions cities could see fewer cars, more housing and an advantageous infrastructure (Redman, 2020). It only takes a few minutes upon entering a grocery store or visiting your favorite restaurant to notice how COVID-19 has changed the way we do things. Cities have ordered its populace to wear face masks. History has shown that this pandemic will pass, but what the normal or the new normal would look like is still up in the air. Cities have always remade themselves to contemporary times and economies and demographics (Redman, 2020). One theory could be that maybe cities would look to decrease the use of automobile traffic, another is that cities will see and understand the value in need of providing more affordable housing. 

Crowding and COVID

Michael Hendrix wrote this article giving more clarity and thought to the relationship between densities and the COVID-19 infection or death rates. The author shed light on other areas that should be looked at and possibly hold greater influence on the rates. Such areas like population size and social connectivity have played a major role in the spread of this virus. Another important area of note, according to the author is overcrowded housing may play a greater role than density in the spread of COVID-19, although this idea is universal, Johns Hopkins researchers in this instance found “no relationship to the virus rate” in housing with more than one person per room, NYU’s Furman Center showed that overcrowded renters in New York were likelier to contract the virus, and in California, “the hardest hit neighborhoods had three times the rate of overcrowding as the neighborhoods that have largely escaped the virus’s devastation” (Hendrix, 2020). In all the information discovered thus far, it is still very much apparent that more research is needed to be accomplished before pinpointing the exact causes for the major spread of the COVID virus. 

References

Glenn, M. (2020, July 09). COVID-19 Shows We Need More Urban Density-Not Less. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.newamerica.org/weekly/covid-19-shows-we-need-more-urban-density-not-less/

Hendrix, M. (2020, July 07). Understanding Crowding and Covid-19. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://www.city-journal.org/understanding-crowding-and-covid

Olin, A. (2020, July 20). As COVID-19 ebbs and flows, will there be a sea change in cities? It depends on whom you ask. Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2020/07/20/housing-covid-19-ebbs-and-flows-will-there-be-sea-change-cities-demographics

Redman, H. (2020, July 21). How could COVID-19 reshape our cities? Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/07/21/how-could-covid-19-reshape-our-cities/