Policy Press

Volume 3: Public Space and Mobility

Edited by Rianne van Melik, Pierre Filion and Brian Doucet

Published

Jul 22, 2021

Page count

254 pages

Browse the series

Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities

ISBN

978-1529219005

Dimensions

203 x 127 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 22, 2021

Page count

254 pages

Browse the series

Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities

ISBN

978-1529219012

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 22, 2021

Page count

254 pages

Browse the series

Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities

ISBN

978-1529219012

Imprint

Bristol University Press
Volume 3: Public Space and Mobility

COVID-19 is an invisible threat that has hugely impacted cities and their inhabitants. Yet its impact is very visible, perhaps most so in urban public spaces and spaces of mobility.

This international volume explores the transformations of public space and public transport in response to COVID-19 across the world, both those resulting from official governmental regulations and from everyday practices of urban citizens. The contributors discuss how the virus made urban inequalities sharper and clearer, and redefined public spaces in the ‘new normal’. Offering crucial insights for reforming cities to be more resilient to future crises, this is an invaluable resource for scholars and policy makers alike.

“This book provides an excellent collection of critical views that make us think about the changing meaning of public space in its relation to human beings and their mobility in the post COVID-19 era. It operationalizes abstract concepts like ‘justice’ and ‘inequality’ through colorful and diverse examples of public spaces from all over the world, illustrated by critical scholars.” Tuna Tasan-Kok, University of Amsterdam

Rianne van Melik is Assistant Professor in Urban Geography at the Institute for Management Research (IMR), Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Pierre Filion is Professor at the School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Brian Doucet is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Social Inclusion at the School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Introduction ~ Rianne van Melik, Pierre Filion & Brian Doucet

Part 1: What Constitutes Public Space?

Public Space and COVID-19: New Social Practices, Intensified Inequalities ~ Loren March and Ute Lehrer

Pandemic Pop-Ups and the Performance of Legality ~ Alexandra Flynn and Amelia Thorpe

Lessons From the Lockdown: Foregrounding Non-Privileged Perspectives Into the (Post-)COVID-19 City Debate ~ Luce Beeckmans and Stijn Oosterlynck

“Everybody Has To Move, You Can’t Stand Still”: Policing of Vulnerable Urban Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brussels ~ Mattias De Backer and Lucas Melgaço

Parks in a Pandemic: Attachments, Absences and Exclusions ~ Julian Dobson

Failure by Design? Neoliberalism, Public Space and the (Im)possibility of Lockdown Compliance in the UK ~ Conor Wilson

A Place for Life: Striving Towards Accessible and Equitable Public Spaces for Times of Crisis and Beyond ~ Anaid Yerena and Rubén Casas

Part 2: Public Space and Human Well-Being

How Can Inequalities in Access to Green Space Be Addressed in a Post-Pandemic World? Lessons From London ~ Meredith Whitten and Peter Massini

America Under COVID-19: The Plight of the Old ~ Setha Low and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

Exploring Older Adults’ Experiences of Urban Space in the COVID-19 Lockdowns: Dutch and British Perspectives ~ Tess Osborne, Arlinde Dul and Louise Meijering

Public Libraries in Crises: Between Spaces of Care and Information Infrastructures ~ Alice Corble and Rianne Van Melik

The City and the Park in Times of Pandemic: Children’s Practices in Public Spaces Before and After the Lockdown in Porto, Portugal ~ Júlia Rodrigues, Lígia Ferro, João Teixeira Lopes and Eunice Castro Seixas

The Mundane and (Extra)ordinary Public Spaces in India: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Through an Everyday Lens in Chennai City ~ Lakshmi Priya Rajendran and Aamstrong Anjumuthu

The Resilience of Street Vendors in Surviving COVID-19 Crisis in Hanoi, Vietnam ~ Ha Minh Hai Thai, Phuong Quoc Dinh and Phuong Thu Nguyen

Part 3: Public Space and Mobility

City Cycling After COVID-19 for Interspecies Mobility Justice ~ Nicholas Scott

Mobility Justice and Social Inequality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Jakarta ~ Harya S. Dillon and Deden Rukmana

Pandemic and Future-Proofing Cities: Pedestrian-Oriented Development as an Alternative Model to Transit-Based Intensification Centres ~ Neluka Leanage and Pierre Filion

Mercurial Images of the COVID-19 City ~ Emma Arnold

Conclusion ~ Rianne Van Melik, Brian Doucet and Pierre Filion