Abstract from UNESCO Cities Platform, “Urban Solutions: Learning from cities responses to COVID-19”
Cities have been at the forefront of the pandemic, and have provided multi-dimensional responses to allow their inhabitants to better respond and adapt to the outbreak.
During the acute phase of the emergency, cities led the way in implementing national or regional regulations and guidelines at the local level. The session aims to understand the key common challenges faced by cities during the pandemic and their immediate responses, financial assistance and capacity development (civil society initiatives, government responses, etc.). Thereby, it seeks to share good city practices and understand lessons learnt for better preparedness for future emergencies.
When disaster strikes, whether a pandemic, an earthquake or a hurricane, most aspects of life suddenly take on a different shape. The immediate response involves focusing on basic needs and preventing secondary risks. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, this has often taken the form of a lockdown, combined with the prioritization of healthcare. The primacy of basic services such as food soon became clear, as long queues formed at supermarkets and marketplaces. Others, like schools, were closed around the globe, and wherever possible virtual and other solutions were sought. In this, cities have been at the forefront, providing multi-dimensional responses to allow their inhabitants to deal with the outbreak. City governments, but also communities and individuals, have led the way. Images of people singing, clapping and chanting on balconies were shared around the world, online services were devised to help neighbours, and tools were developed to share information on rapidly changing measures to large groups of people. What were some of the most successful of such efforts, and how did they help cities and their inhabitants deal with the pandemic? How was information spread and accessed, but also, how was feedback received from citizens?
During the peak of the emergency in countries that were impacted the earliest, cities led the way in translating national or regional regulations and guidelines to the local level, and ensuring their implementation. Local implementation requires a concerted effort on the part of leadership, services and inhabitants, as well as the provision of feedback to the national level. In many cities, the immediate response to COVID-19 showed how flexible and adaptive local systems were in addressing the crisis, often fostering cooperation between services that were not trained or used to coordinating among each other. From others, it required a rapid adaptation to a new reality. Whether this meant an unforeseen closure, moving to a new form of operating, or being innovative and facing a much- increased demand, no sector was left untouched. How did sectors work together? What were the main challenges and what were some of the most innovative solutions? This cooperation also increased awareness on the importance of risk preparedness, whether for a pandemic, for the effects of climate change or for any other risk the city may be prone to. Will any efforts be made to be more prepared when the next crisis arrives, and how will this be done?
The pandemic also exposed the vast inequalities that increase vulnerabilities in times of emergency. Lessons from responses to crises all over the world have unearthed how a crisis is ultimately a social issue in which vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected. Though there is a vast difference between cities, including in population size and the hazards they face, cities tend to have on average much greater inequalities than rural areas. For example, one third of urban dwellers in the developing world live in slum-like conditions. This means that the challenges of addressing COVID-19 were significantly different among and within cities. A one-size-fits-all approach in most cases did not work. A slow economy leads to job loss, which affects mostly those without access to savings or social security. Closing of schools is not experienced in the same manner for those without access to electricity or internet, or those sharing a room with numerous siblings. A health pandemic that requires heightened hygiene measures is vastly more difficult to address in densely populated areas without access to clean water. Cities, and especially those that have to manage major inequalities, had to devise ways to address these differences, and while the COVID-19 response has been said to exacerbate inequalities, many have also devised ways to reach the most vulnerable among their citizens.
There is no doubt that being at the forefront of the direct response to the pandemic also put a strain on cities, in terms of budgets and capacities, which is why the session also aimed to understand how some of these challenges were tackled, including accessing financial assistance and additional capacities. It further explored how some of these initiatives may be the start for longer-term engagement or strengthening of existing systems. Some cities have a long history of tackling disasters, others are far less used to large-scale crisis situations.
Over the past months, UNESCO’s city networks, such as its Creative Cities Network and ICCAR, have already begun initiatives that allow member cities to share experiences and solutions. The session first and foremost focused on continuing to learn from valuable solutions devised during the acute phase of the pandemic, and which can help cities around the world to better prepare for the future, but can also inspire those cities and communities that are still at the start of the outbreak.
Questions for Reflections
- What lessons were learnt on cities’ preparedness to deal with such a crisis, as well as from community/neighbourhood responses to the COVID-19 crisis? What preparatory measures, across sectors, were particularly helpful?
- How to strengthen city preparedness and emergency response capacity?
- How could cities continue their role as public service providers (access to water, green spaces, safety, education and learning, cultural content and participation, media and other information services, etc.) in times of crisis?
- How to manage information flow and access to information between different levels – local, national and global?
- How could culture and creativity be used to help cities and people to better deal with the crisis? How could the education system adapt from classroom education to e-learning spaces?
- What social innovation solutions were applied to challenges such as homelessness, domestic violence, racial prejudice and racial injustice, amongst others?
- How could intercity collaboration contribute to our common efforts to face global challenges?
The e-debate started with the introduction by the moderator Ms. Mirian Vilela, UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, who emphasised how cities had initiated the immediate responses amidst the pandemic. Next, Ms. Maria Francesca Merloni, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Creative Cities focused on what we are currently living with as citizens of the world during the crisis. She emphasized an understanding of how we as humans are dealing with the pandemic and what the environment is trying to tell us. She noted that time is of the essence in understanding and rebuilding, as “we are crossing a change, even if we resist, as something is changing deeply.”
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PANEL: GENERAL SUMMARY
On behalf of the Mayor of Santos, Brazil, Ms. Selley Storino, Focal point of Santos UNESCO Creative City of Film, explained how the city of Santos has creatively responded to the pandemic. ‘Culture time at home’- an initiative launched by the city focuses on providing cultural actions focused on training, entertainment and physical activity (dance, photography, gastronomy, crafts and music) online via social networks. In this manner, when people cannot come to experience culture outside, culture comes to their homes.
For Mr. Juma Assiago, Head of Safer Cities Programme, UN-Habitat, his emphasis was on how we need to look at the pandemic with a long-term recovery response and what we need to do differently. “We need to deal with the historical inequalities that has confronted our cities, villages and towns,” he explained. His focus was to change the way we view cities, to look beyond the brick and mortar model and that “the 2030 Sustainable Agenda calls for new thinking of our local governments on cities, villages and towns.” He also added the idea of security during the times of COVID19, and how domestic violence has been on a rise during this period. In conclusion, Mr Assiago stated that there is a need to “rethink the concept of safety in cities, one that is more socially integrated.”
As an educator, Mr. Camilo Younes-Velosa, Professor of Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Manizales, spoke from an educational viewpoint. His focus was on how to rebuild cities after the pandemic, with an emphasis on the city of Manizales. ”Students are the future of our country and the world,” he stated referencing how we need to move forward with educating more young people, especially at the higher education level.
Speaking from Nigeria, Ms. Lanke Taiwo, Director, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, highlighted the importance of having clean water facilities running during this time. For their city, following the rules of social distancing and other COVID-19 instructions to stay safe in both private and public spaces was key in keeping essential workers safe. In this case, she explained that “access to water in times of crisis” is imperative in keeping a healthy population.
Overall, the e-debate I focused on the way global citizens are responding to the crisis be it through online learning, following government instructions, bringing cultural activities to people, or reflecting on what the crisis has pushed to the surface. There was an agreement that people need diverse outlets to properly deal with the sanitary crisis. Based on this, and across gender, across age and across culture, cities will re-think their current model and move towards a more inclusive, sustainable society.