Downtown After COVID: Will Urban Centers be the Same?

Held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Watch a recording or read a recap below.

Recap by Claudia Chiappa

On Wednesday, April 17 the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC) and City Planning & Urban Affairs (CPUA) Program hosted a discussion on the future of downtown spaces in the post-pandemic era. Moderated by Jon Chesto, Business Reporter at the Boston Globe, the panel featured Brian Swett, Boston Office Leader & Director of Cities in the Americas of Arup; Emily Keys Innes, Founder of Innes Associates and Faculty and board member at the CPUA Program; and David Valecillos, Director of Design at the North Shore Community Development Coalition and CPUA Faculty and alumnus.

“I felt like I walked into a post-apocalyptic version of Downtown Boston,” Chesto remarked, describing the sight of a deserted downtown, with empty streets and little to no life. COVID-19 has made this a common sight across city centers globally, as they’ve seen traffic drastically decrease over the past year. As cities implemented lockdowns and activities all over the country shut down or switched to remote work, neighborhoods transformed. But what do these changes mean for downtown spaces?

How COVID-19 Reshaped Spaces

One of the biggest changes brought about by the pandemic was remote work. As many companies consider bringing their employees back to their office spaces and many workers look forward to socializing again, the panelists discussed how many will choose to continue working from home, at least partially. This will continue to impact downtown traffic and businesses.

Last year, as traffic in city centers decreased, many urban centers found creative ways to diversify and reorganize their outdoor and office spaces. Without daily employees going into office and bringing downtown to life, this shift was necessary.

“We can use our outdoor spaces and our public realms and reduce some of the areas we had devoted to parking and logistics significantly and increase the diversity of uses,” explained Swett.

This adaptation will likely outlive pandemic, explained Swett, causing office spaces continue to remain below their pre-pandemic capacities. Turning commercial spaces into mixed-use spaces is possible, and it has the potential to turn neighborhoods into areas that combine work life and recreation.

COVID-19 did not just change how people worked, it changed how they lived. As downtown areas found themselves rethinking their spaces, suburban neighborhoods faced similar challenges. Swett pointed out how as employees started working from their homes and stopped commuting to downtown areas every day, the need for recreational activities in different areas increased.

“If you are commuting in for work, when you go home you want to be home,” noted Swett. “But if you’re working from home, maybe you’re more likely to go in on a Wednesday night into the city to catch a convert or to go on a waterfront tour. So, I think the whole dynamic of the region, of how we live, work, and play, is going to change and can change in a very positive way.”

Similarly, cities must continue thinking strategically about their use of parks and public spaces, even after the pandemic has ended. Parks are a “foundational asset” for cities, said Innes, not just for outdoor activities but also for community-building.

A New Way to Live

Remote work reshaped city neighborhoods, but it also changed how people view their own homes. The panelists noted how employees found themselves working on their kitchen table, sharing spaces with their children attending online classes, and started reconsidering their living situation. Innes explained how this led to people looking to move to larger houses in suburban areas or in smaller cities outside of Boston, for more convenience and less expenses.

This shift boosted the traffic and opportunities for small cities outside Greater Boston and for residential areas. However, this migration also raises different issues, such as access to efficient public transit and to high-speed bandwidth. It’s not enough to provide high-speed broadband however, explained Innes; cities must also focus on how to ensure it reaches people’s homes and that people are incentivized to use it.

Mass Transit and Infrastructure Improvements

As people start commuting again, cities should invest in public transit across regions, to ensure small communities are included. On top of expanding and improving the infrastructure, the focus should be on ensuring they are environmentally friendly. One solution is to encourage residents to use bikes and transit over their cars.

“We need to be comfortable with being back in public transportation, again and I think some of that is going to come naturally,” said Innes. “But there also needs to be an investment in, how do we make public transit as convenient as having a car?”

The panelists agree that the future of transit might still inevitably change, as less people commute to work on a daily basis. Cities must pay attention to these patterns and potentially adjust the infrastructure to accommodate new needs of residents, with different schedules and wider connections.

The pandemic exposed several already present inequities around cities, noted Valecillos. When cities start their recovery process, Swett said they must center justice and equity, investing in disadvantaged communities and in businesses in low-income areas. At the same time, ensuring transit from and to these communities and investing in education is just as important when fighting inequity.

“I think education is critical,” said Valecillos. “There is that reflection that we are all part of that issue. As individuals we have to reflect on what is the part that we play? […] Hopefully through education and investment we will get there.”