While managing post Covid-19 de-confinement and its economic and social impact, Cities should broaden their perspective and plan a truly pandemic-resilient strategy for the next three years. During a recent online event by the Global Resilient Cities Network and the World Bank, Robert Muir-Wood, Chief Research Officer at RMS, discussed how risk management should look like in the post Covid-19 scenario.
In the medium-long term, national governments are called to strengthen their ‘fire-fighting’ capabilities and be ready to contribute to the international health response. At the same they should continue to monitor the crucial Rt (rate of transmission) of possible infections for the early detection of next pandemic outbreaks. Local governments will be responsible for implementing adequate architectural and technological measures to ensure the physical resilience of urban communities, and define how to transfer risks and manage parametric insurance for business survival.
Let’s focus on technology for pandemic-resilient Cities.
“Covid-19 has forced local governments to quickly shift the way they use data and technology. Technology will form a critical part of the recovery process, but this doesn’t just involve investing in more Smart City solutions […] Creating a trusted environment and embracing bottom-up approaches will enable Cities to harness the power of citizens’ ambition to drive change and allow governments to better serve their needs”, wrote Sandy Tung, program manager of the pan-European initiative Sharing Cities, on CityMetric.com
That’s something we definitely agree with. Smart Cities cannot be limited to connecting devices and automating services: they are about data becoming tangible value for the benefit of all. Even before the pandemic, Cities have been increasingly challenged to change their game, and turn investments aimed at cost savings into opportunities for sustainable, inclusive growth, engaging citizens and local stakeholders in open innovation cases.
Information is the new asset class for Cities. At Paradox Engineering, we are ready to shape and support the Open City journey, providing interoperable, standard-based technologies that empower local communities to take future developments in their own hands, and build smart, pandemic-resilient Cities.