DECREASE IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

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The emissions have fallen as people drive less and
industries to work less than before after the pandemic
crisis. The industries and private motorized
transportation cause air and sound pollution which
is dangerous for health and stress. This condition
affects people as well as the environment. The best
example of this is the reduction in air pollution after
pandemic and the ability of some species to move
freely in their habitats again. The decreasing number of
private cars or motorcycles on the streets will
prevent not only pollution but also the traffic jam.
For sure we can take this as an advantage to find
more sustainable ways for mobility

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QUITE SPACES

there are no crowds that we see especially in city
centers. Aerial photographs were taken after the
pandemic in Milan, Italy allowed us to see the city's
magical urban environment. The cities that breathe
reminded us of our longing for slow cities.

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NEW DESIGN APPROACH

In this pandemic/lockdown context, we
all spent weeks and months at home,
which had as we have seen the impacts
on mobility at different scales. People
were not anymore moving from
neighborhoods to neighborhoods, from
cities to cities, form countries to
countries. But this will not last forever. As
soon as we will be allowed to travel, we
will do it. But, as explained before, we do
not want to go back to what we were
doing before the pandemic.
Thus, what we can change is how we
travel, the means of transport we use.
This pandemic is our best opportunity to
put a definitive end to our intensive use
of cars and to develop means to
encourage people cycling to move
around their cities. Actually, public
transports are showing their limits in
such a context, as it would be impossible
to observe social distancing, especially
during rush hours. Though, cycling would
be the best option to move freely inside
cities in a green way and while respecting
sanitary rules.

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PEDESTRIAN WAYS & CYCLE WAYS

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To force people to prefer their bike instead of
their car, a simple way would be to remove
space dedicating to park and drive cars inside
cities, and to dedicate them instead to bikes:
large, enjoyable and secured cycle paths, bike
parking. It is what the city of Milan is planning to
do with its “Strade Aperte” plan. They want to
give half-space of certain of its major axis of
transportation to cyclers. This is double action.
On the one hand, car traffic will probably be a lot
more congested if the same number of cars are
circulating. And this would certainly encourage
lots of drivers to change their habits. In the
other hand, it is making much easier and safer
for citizens to ride their bike through the city.
There is also the issue of having a bike. Not
everybody today owns a bike, and to improve
that, firstly states can provide financial aid to
those who want to acquire a bike. Then, cities
can develop even more their bike-sharing
systems: increase the number of bikes available,
as well as the number of stations where you can
take or leave the bikes, extend the area it covers,
improve the quality of the bikes, reduce the
subscription prices, etc.