CURB: The Covid-19 pandemic as disruptive force for urbanization

Problem statement

Since its outbreak in early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has had major implications on our health care policy as well as on our everyday life. In spatial terms the pandemic also had its influence and brought about new spatial patterns of use. Social distancing and closed entertainment facilities led to different ways of using public space. All of a sudden, the advantages of an urban lifestyle like a vibrant cultural scene or global economic activity came to a halt. Through the outbreak of the pandemic, many of us spent more time at home and in their immediate neighborhood, asking ourselves: How do I live? How do I want to live? And where?

From a geographical perspective, it is in particular interesting to see how the pandemic affected regional patterns. Residents of major cities faced different challenges as those living in rural areas. In this regard, ideas on living and on how to use public space, public transport or urban amenities in general changed. This is changing society as a whole and brings about new challenges for adequate and sustainable urban and regional planning. The project CURB looks into whether the experiences made during the pandemic lead to a ‘renaissance of the rural’ and if urbanization in the century of urbanization is being dampened.

Goals and question

The goal of the FWF funded project CURB is to deepen theoretical and applied knowledge. It aims to understand how the pandemic has influenced the residential location preferences, residential satisfaction as well as urbanization processes in general. Scientific knowledge is then transferred to the applied planning context by formulating recommendations. This is accomplished by using the Delphi technique together with planning practitioners. Therefore, CURB follows a transdisciplinary approach.

The following research questions are at the center of our research project:

1. How has the Covid-19 pandemic quantitatively influenced residential mobility?
2. What are the preferences for one’s own place of residency?
3. How do the Covid-19 measures influence the spatial perception and actions of inhabitants?
4. Is there a new perception of urban quality since the outbreak of Covid-19?
5. Which changes within planning culture could the Covid-19 pandemic bring about?