Cities are the crucible of our civilisations

Around the world, responses to the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic are understandably focused on reducing infections and fatalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a profoundly urban crisis. The vast majority of the millions of reported cases worldwide are concentrated in overcrowded neighbourhoods and informal settlements.

One of the first countries to register a Covid-19 outbreak, South Korea, flattened the curve in stunning fashion. It registered over 22,000 cases, yet fewer than 400 deaths at the time of writing.

Even before the tumultuous arrival of COVID-19, many parts of the world were suffering from dangerous polarization and division.

Published in World Economic Forum By Robert Muggah The world is entering a volatile and unstable new phase. Scientists are increasingly confident that the COVID-19 pandemic threat will persist, possibly for years. The global economy is headed for an economic nose dive that could rival, even exceed, the…