NEW Call for Pitches: Post-COVID-19 Urban Futures Project

Throughout history, major era-defining crises have defined what our cities looked like. The diseases of the Industrial Age led to the rise of modern sanitation systems. The assembly line and post-war prosperity brought car-centric infrastructure to our cities, and undermined age-old colonial systems. The global oil crisis of the 1970s sparked debates of sustainability. And terrorist attacks of more recent years ushered surveillance into public spaces.

Now we’re living through another era-defining crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic. And it, too, will define what our cities will look like in the years ahead. So what exactly will change? In this new Oxford Urbanist series — entitled ‘The Post-COVID-19 Urban Futures’ project — we want to hear from practitioners about the future for urban development after COVID-19.

Generally, the guidelines will follow these key themes:

  • Urban tech, big data & digital governance. Who owns cities in the future? Who controls urban data and space? What is life like in the hyper-connected city?

  • Mobility. What will our streets look like? What implications does this have for automated vehicles (AVs) or micro-mobility? And for transport writ large?

  • Environment & green space. Will cities change the way they perceive green space in the future? What will parks and open space need to have in a post-COVID-19 world? Given the notable environmental effects of slowdown, how does this change the way urban practitioners talk about climate justice?

  • Urban lifestyles & city life. Will people seek out less dense environments? Is close-quarter socialization doomed? How will we live differently in cities after COVID-19?

*Note to contributors: Submissions to Oxford Urbanists are unpaid. We encourage contributors to submit pre-existing or ongoing research.

About Oxford Urbanists

Based at the University of Oxford, Oxford Urbanists tackles contemporary urban challenges with innovative solutions developed through interdisciplinary, global collaboration. (See previous Urbanists publications here.) We co-publish and act as a platform for articles on issues relating to urban and infrastructure development issues around the world. These typically take the form of op-eds, research briefs, or analyses ranging from 750-2,500 words. We also publish Q&As of specialist researchers, activists or community organizers/practitioners on relevant topics (1,000 words minimum).

Project contacts

Dexter Docherty (dexdocherty@gmail.com) is the project lead for the Post-COVID-19 Urban Futures project at Oxford Urbanists.

John Surico (jsurico15@gmail.com) is the Regional Focus Editor at Oxford Urbanists.

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