We asked experts in urban planning, design and architecture for their ideas.
PITCH 1: Green it and they will come
Architect Emmanuelle van Rutten
Architect Emmanuelle van Rutten suggests Ottawa needs to rethink its office spaces post-COVID-19. This concept drawing by Kristen Smith illustrates what it might look like if offices were converted to mixed-use buildings (pink), if multi-function gathering areas replaced cubicles (blue), and if green features were added (green). (Moriyama and Teshima Architects)
In architect Emmanuelle van Rutten s vision, office cubicles are replaced by multi-use gathering spaces, and there are more green features including living walls and rooftops.
In a post-COVID-19 city, many of us will continue working from home, reducing the need for office space, van Rutten said. The focus of the remaining office space will also change.
With a multilayered approach to detect and prevent the spread of Covid-19, campus leaders at the University of California, San Diego say they have created something rare in higher education this year: a safe on-campus experience for thousands of students.
Even with Covid-19 spreading rapidly in Southern California, about 10,000 students are living on UC San Diego’s La Jolla campus this year. After avoiding any significant Covid-19 outbreaks during the 11-week fall quarter, the university welcomed students back this month and resumed instruction for the winter quarter.
Colleges with that many students living on campus are an uncommon sight this academic year. This month, Stanford University abruptly reversed its plans to allow freshmen and sophomores to move into dorms this quarter. Most campuses in California’s two four-year university systems, the UC and California State University, are also housing very few students.