Soumyadeep Dutta

Urban re-resilience for public places in post pandemic scenario: case of urban canalfronts

Spaces when given a definitive meaning becomes a place. Each place has its own physical and social structure, set of activities and character which helps in establishing the urban imageability by enabling it to be easily identifiable to people. Public places allow a high degree of social engagement by encouraging a diverse mix of values and cultures of each individual in a particular setting. The sense of visual perception and cognition have allowed people to interpret public places in their own way based on its impact in their everyday lives. The transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus at the community level has affected millions worldwide causing implementation of stringent rules like nationwide lockdown, provision for emergency services only, social distancing and self-isolation. As a precautionary measure public places have been shut down completely. Like every other pandemic, this too will subside in future leaving behind life lessons on preparing for more resilient places. The burning question that arises is: How are we going to cope with our inadequacies and prepare a holistic framework for resilient public places within the urban fabric as part of our preparedness for not only COVID-19 but also post-pandemic situation in future? This paper aims to provide comprehensive urban design guidelines for consolidating the existential arguments that surrounds COVID-19 in public places and reinforcing best possible measures that can be taken for adapting to the ‘new’ normal. A case of urban canalfronts has been deliberated to demonstrate how the urban transformation of social space, recreation and amenities can become re-resilient through urban design principles. The adopted method will intrinsically look for optimized solutions based on case and site study on the key parameters for successful canalfronts like edge conditions, activity nodes, connections and accessibility to retain the significance of the place without compromising public health and safety.