Public transport, museums, and shops are three examples of places where finding personal space has often posed a challenge for me.
However, through the development and implementation of new strategies as a response to the pandemic, we have many new (and tested) tools to improve our experiences moving forward.
One of the most positive lessons I have seen people embrace is investing time within our neighbourhoods. Moving forward, this could be very helpful to support the local economy, our mental health, and the environment.
If we learn to be ambitious, we could implement strategies like the Parisian 15-minute city model, whereby everything we need is available within that distance. This kind of approach would not only help us simplify our lives and benefit the environment but it would give us back a lot of leisure time and potentially increase our quality of life.
Whereas people used to commute for hours daily without questioning the existence of a more beneficial model, we now know that this is not necessary.
For those who prefer working at an office, I would love to see flexible working hubs appear nearby stations that could both provide a good compromise and a different use within the high street.
And of course, staying local has helped us appreciate the positives and spot areas of opportunity which I am hopeful will translate into a wider community engagement when future developments are proposed around us.
As cities grow, we should embrace every opportunity to make the lives of their citizens better and I believe that the intense education provided to us by our collective 2020 experience could hold the key.
