Planning the post-pandemic

Abstract

I’ve been an enthusiastic reader of disP – The Planning Review since the early 2000s when, as a young doctoral student, I learned to appreciate the international comparative scope of the journal, its European focus and its digressions addressing extra-European contexts and planning practices. In this light, I am delighted to serve as a columnist for the journal and, even more so, to do this during a year that represents an important watershed for planning and planners in Europe. In particular, 2023 is the first year to finally look at COVID-19 from the rear-view mirror. In the early months of 2022, the virus diffusion peaked at over 2 million new cases per day, with around 10 000 daily deaths. Now, daily cases worldwide are less than 200 000, and it is time to sit down and reflect on the challenges that await us when planning the post-pandemic future of our cities and territories.