COVID-19, a microscopic non-living thing, may change the world, in many ways. Despite what we may hear, however, cities are not to blame for this disease, though they, like us, may be temporarily among its victims.
We need to change our habits. We need to demand more from public servants, including a reversal of the disrespect for science that Jane warned us of in Dark Age Ahead—even take to the streets, as Jane Jacobs did when necessary. We need to invest much more in local community infrastructure, mindful of their life-sustaining natural and social ecologies, whether the neighborhoods are urban, suburban, or rural. (We saw, very quickly, how important and valued public spaces, both streets designed for people and parks, have been to people during this crisis.) We need to support and invest far more greatly in processes of maintenance and restoration, and those people who—as we can now more clearly than ever—maintain our health and well-being, our institutions and our communities. And, in the meantime, we may face an unprecedented global financial crisis.