COVID-19 (Forced) Innovations

In cities and metropolitan areas, marginal and degradation conditions can be found everywhere, even in the most central spaces. In fact, the concept of periphery based on the distance from the center seems outdated, associating the term with the deprivation of rights, like the “right to the city” and the opportunities it offers. Moreover, nowadays taking care of the existing city seems to be an unavoidable necessity to restore quality, accessibility and safety completely neglected in decades of development; this need becomes even more urgent when events like those experienced in past years require to rethink ways and spaces of living together. Lastly, we can consider that the place-based approach for the transformation of “internal areas” can be related to an inter-urban scale to strengthen social cohesion and promote local development even in interstices and marginal areas inside the city. From these reflections, among the urban environments to be rethought, here we suggest to deepen the theme of the historical peripheries, in which there are typical and peculiar conditions that make them paradigmatic of a contemporary condition, complementary to the dispersion and loss of urban form: high degradation of the building stock, which has reached obsolescence in many parts, combined to the persistence of historical and environmental values; high density corresponding a chronic underdevelopment of services and collective spaces; a social unease caused by a combination of poverty conditions, subculture non-integration of immigrant communities; all situations in which the “right to the city” seems to be denied. Today, in a problematic condition where the theme of distancing raises new questions about density as a value, the theme of inner peripheries, as symptomatic of the city unease as its complementary phenomenon of urban sprawl, requires a specific, place-based approach, attentive to material and immaterial characters, as well as the urban form and living conditions.

The convergence of the climate crisis and the pandemic associated with the COVID-19 outbreak has exposed many weaknesses in the current fragile socio-economic and spatial structures of cities around the world. In this need to radically rethink the city, the principles of ‘proximity’ emerged in architectural discourse, promoting a notion of civic life within short distances to create sustainable, liveable and healthier urban spaces. In Europe, for example, ‘15-minute cities’ and ‘superblocks’ seem to highlight important, if sometimes different, features of planning and policy efforts to economically restructure the city at the neighbourhood level and provide insights into the design of public space, in the post-pandemic period. Following on from the above, this paper will explore how these two new design models, through their structural elements and spatial characteristics, can help define proximity as a new strategy in design thinking in the post-pandemic city. To achieve this goal, the first part of the paper will provide an overview of proximity policies that have led to design adjustments in response to COVID-19. In the second part, a thorough overview is given of the two cases considered: the ‘15-minute cities’ and ‘the superblocks’. The third and final part of the paper summarises all the new design insights and the various lessons learned from the two cases in order to conceptualise a ‘post-pandemic urbanism’ and provide guidelines for the realisation of proximity principles.

Each crisis opens new scenarios in which the concept of normality must be completely reviewed and redefined also in terms of resources and opportunities that can help design a future with a strong adaptive connotation. While the pandemic emergency has exposed our weaknesses on the one hand, on the other it has brought out our ability to react, to build positive dynamics starting from traumatic events. In other words, we had to adopt resilient approaches. Even in more strictly scientific terms, the pandemic has led us to adopt new schemes, to use new resources. It is precisely by sharing this approach, also experimented in recent research experiences, that the authors propose a series of considerations in which the urban open space is conceived as an articulated system able to provide not only an important reserve of space, compared to the more restricted living dimension, but also a tool to ensure a kind of “normality”. The criticalities linked to social distancing represent, for the authors, an opportunity to experiment with differentiated modes of use, to imagine “places in which to regain trust in others and re-establish a civic sense of belonging, for example through activities of “controlled” social aggregation, counteracting the loneliness of the new modes of living and working and guaranteeing a space of release from the spatial constraints of urban residences” (LAND 2020). The idea is to define a model that works on a new quality and livability of urban open spaces, but especially on their relationship with neighbouring rural contexts, transforming each area into a spatial/functional element of an articulated network of open spaces that meets ecological-environmental, health and social needs.

The contribution aims to explore the concept of urban coastal society, a community intimately connected to the coast and to the sea, in the context of the socio-spatial and climatic-environmental critical issues that characterize the development of large coastal cities during the past pandemic situation. In spatial and functional terms, the urban shore could be considered as an urban amphibious, that is, the urban area where the land and the sea physically meet, in relationship with the ability of the city and the coastal community to constantly adapt to these two systems. It is an aggregator of coastal commons, shared resources whose importance is fundamental for the adaptation of the coastal society to external impacts. Anyway, its integrity appears to be fragmented since it is composed of variegated elements (port areas, production plants, urban beaches, insecure or abandoned spaces) that can also be considered as pieces of a potential green–blue infrastructure. In this sense, the concept of city–sea interface can be mobilized, as the physical, ecological, social and functional contact area between the edge of the city and the edge of the water: it can be considered as an expression of the urban amphibious, a space in which different ways of experiencing the coastal life of the city are juxtaposed, with a strong need for flexible management. These premises require us to investigate how to plan and manage ‘blue spaces’, considering them as potential quality public areas along the urban shore: during the Covid-19 pandemic, this necessity becomes even more absolute in relation to the evolution of social needs that require a greater amount of public space to guarantee to each user valuable social spaces while preventing contagion. Coastal areas therefore take on an even greater social and therapeutic value in large coastal cities.

Currently, the development of coastal urban planning and landscape design must confront the existing contrasts between the urban areas along the shore (including ports, industrial areas, residential areas) and the natural spaces of cities. European coastal landscapes, relating to the sea but also to rivers and lakes, are very often characterised by various functions and suffer from strong friction between the uses that citizens would like to develop along the coasts and logistical and commercial needs. At the same time, tourism is increasingly affirming itself as a fundamental economic pillar that inevitably influences the dynamics of development and evolutionary patterns of urban shores. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has altered social, economic, cultural and productive relationships and connections. In post-Covid society, the need for open spaces is higher than before, especially along the coast in order to access the sea as a natural place of great importance. Added to this is the greater demand for proximity open spaces by the post-Covid society, so that residential areas are directly connected with healthy places on the coasts, well known for the benefits to human health. The value of water recreational activities is in fact measured through the various positive effects on citizens’ well-being, in relation to physical exercise and mental well-being, which is one of the main reasons for pursuing the widest possible access to the sea. This paper aims to explore the value of ecological planning for national and international coasts, trying to analyse whether contemporary cities are effectively managed and designed to meet the economic and socio-recreational expectations of the users. The awareness of the effects of health-related environmental and socio-economic challenges, exacerbated by the current climate, economic and pandemic crisis, is a fundamental key to rethink urban planning approaches to improve the quality of life in our coastal cities.

The paper aims to develop a reflection on the strategic importance of green communities, starting from the concept contained in Italian Law 221/2015, on the role that ecosystem services (MEA, Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington, 2005) can play in the planning of natural areas and in the management of commons. The paper also intends focusing on those ecosystem services that could be central in the post-Covid era, considering the importance given to the quality and health of the mountain environment and to the opportunity for a repopulation boost. The contribution proposes two scales of application: the first is a hypothesis of use of the ecosystem services offered by the municipal area of Pacentro (AQ), located in the territory of the Maiella National Park in Abruzzo, as a development tool, able to counteract the economic and demographic impoverishment process, which has characterised the Central Apennines for over a century, and at the same time attract new residents from the metropolitan coastal area; the second is the result of ongoing research, applied to the inland areas of Abruzzo, and intends investigating the potential of participatory processes and in particular hopes for the creation of associations of local authorities, with a view to increasing sustainability, capable of recognising the value of the rural and mountain territories, to be exploited in a balanced way, their main resources, including first and foremost, water, woodland and landscape, exploring the ways whereby these factors can be transformed into active policies for the protection and enhancement of the territorial heritage, while highlighting the strategic role that urban planning can assume. The paper will underline the importance which a wide environmental census and measurements of the extent and condition of the stock of natural capital assets can take on, underscoring the financial value of ecosystem services as a potentially new driving force for the economy of mountainous areas. In this regard, the contribution will also highlight the potential of Payment for Ecosystem Service flows between inland areas (ES providers) and urbanised valleys (ES buyers), in order to avoid the impoverishment of the natural ecosystem and recognise the role of the landscape foundation of community identity.

With the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, a number of critical issues emerged related to the worldwide shortage of adequate facilities to handle an emergency of such severity. Public buildings, due to their strategic role in contemporary society, present great challenges in terms of spatiality, functionality and logistics. The pandemic’s speed and gravity did not lead to timely operational arrangements, particularly with regard to the most crowded buildings. This is the case of school buildings, which, due to their use, are considered places of high pandemic proliferation. That is why action protocols have imposed physical distancing, with the aim of reducing the contagion risk. For this reason, from the very beginning, the most common strategies in the world of education included the stopping of in-presence service delivery, favouring the use of remote connection. The objective of this paper is to identify design parameters for the construction of new school structures or for the adaptation of existing school structures, in order to allow the continuity of teaching functions even under secure conditions. To this end, the research starts by comparing the directives and regulations implemented by a number of European countries on the basis of organisational and behavioural criteria in order to ensure that teaching activities can be carried out in complete safety. This preventive survey provides basic information which, by virtue of the specific conditions of applicability, can be deepened to evolve into behavioural, technological or spatial-functional indications in order to adapt school services and spaces in the event of future needs.

Covid-19 restrictions have upended normal life flow, completely changed education systems, affected our mental health and social relationships. Educational institutions all around the world had to switch to remote and hybrid learning; many students abandoned their learning environments and had to learn from home. As expected, the crisis showed that distance learning isn’t for everyone, children need guidance from a teacher and shared activities with classmates, for a fruitful learning process. As the world is slowly adapting to life in a pandemic, policymakers and educators in North Macedonia, were challenged to reopen schools or offer an appropriate online learning model. Beyond much discussion about where learning will take place, another question appeared: How to improve and reinvent schools to fulfill the needs of all students now and in the future? Besides causing difficulties, the global health pandemic delivered a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t for pupils. It opened our eyes to existing inequalities and all challenges that need to be addressed. As new approaches to designing learning environments are required, we cannot return to the world as it was before. School designs with a renewed focus on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children constructed over the pillars of access, equity, and inclusion, are the future of a reformed teaching system. The built environment should ensure the safety of students, educators and staff, and act to the improvement of education and children’s well-being in a (post) pandemic world. It is imperative that schools present a positive inclusive environment where children can explore and learn while feeling safe, equal and accepted. In the process of providing guidelines and suggestions for redesign or reuse of educational facilities, first and foremost one must begin with the evaluation of existing school infrastructure. Based on building codes and regulations, direct observation of 12 schools in Macedonia, and analysis of disabled user’s needs, this research focuses on rethinking how buildings are designed, how architecture can reshape spaces and user experience, ending up with design guidelines and suggestions about how the classroom of the future should look like.

The authors studied the design of a prototype for a mobile medical testing unit in a specific historic urban context. The initiative was a response to a request made by the University of Padua to its professors and technicians for the generation of ideas suitable for combating the Covid-19 pandemic during the worst period of this medical emergency. The medical testing unit, designed for a wider context, was initially studied for the purpose of providing medical tests and check-ups for the University of Padua student population and the personnel employed by the university. It is appropriate for use in the virtual city composed of the numerous sites where University of Padua activity is articulated, facilitating medical check-ups, and anticipating and fighting epidemiological phenomena where they are found. In terms of reassuring the students and their families, the results can be significant. The project was themed on the basic module being flexible so as to facilitate the use of space for new needs resulting from a health crisis and to respond to an evolving crisis situation and the consequent need for functional adaptation. The medical testing unit also constitutes a sign that the University of Padua is present in the territory: the finishing of the cladding panels was studied in order to express the identifying elements and publicity referring to the university itself. The medical testing unit, which can be deployed in the piazzas of larger towns as well as in small villages, is able to move medical personnel and units in loco from the traditional institutional sites while at the same time relaunching the concept of the presence of the university in the territory.

Almost 40% of all energy is consumed by buildings; therefore, there is a high demand for the construction of sustainable residential units with zero or low energy consumption. This study presents a proposal for a green building design for a touristic village located on the Ionian Sea coast. The project brings to Albania a new concept of building sustainable houses by reusing shipping containers. This design aims to build self-sufficient vacation houses that are ideally suited to an ‘off-grid’ rural setting and, at the same time, can be used as shelter in case of a pandemic. The energy is generated entirely by the solar panel system, which is placed on the roofs of houses. The project includes a water harvesting system that will provide the water for each house and also a gray water system collection, which can be used for gardening. Warm water is provided by a solar water heater. The project is based on the evaluation of the capacity of one shipping container to fit several living activity zones. Modular units are joined together in order to provide different housing typologies suitable for all types of families. The project utilizes the concept of the reuse of the shipping containers that can be found locally, the transportation of them by sea, and the conversion of them into prefabricated living cells that can be easily assembled on site. The autonomy of the house, the use of renewable energy, the recycling of wasted materials, and the speed of construction contribute to the resiliency of the housing design and make it suitable for application in emergency situations.

Coworking spaces (CSs) have been demonstrating their ability to act as multifunctional, safe, and healthy hubs. Over the last decade, there has been a boom all over the world, especially in developed countries. On the contrary, developing countries still lag behind in implementing such spaces. However, coworking spaces may significantly contribute to the economic and social progress of developing countries that have been challenging several issues resulting from rapid urbanization and difficult living and working conditions, mainly in peripheral areas. The main aim of the study is to explore how coworking spaces can contribute to solving these problems in the peripheries, which can attract people after the pandemic, considering the move out of the biggest cities and the increase in employees and freelancers working remotely. Firstly, the study presents a general overview of coworking spaces in both Western Europe and Eastern Europe, including Norway, Italy, Russia, and Albania. Then, the study discusses possible scenarios for the expansion of coworking spaces in urban peripheries and peripheral areas that would be beneficial for the local communities and economy, and it would fill a void in the current provision of these service spaces throughout the territory. The study suggests designing a prototype for an educational and coworking hub that can be quickly installed in the urban peripheries. The prototype for coworking will be based on standardized construction, be easy to build in multiple locations, and include all necessary infrastructures. In order to design such a project, it would be necessary to conduct a step-by-step process of analysis of case studies, including construction methods such as containers and prefabricated elements that respond to community needs and would make the construction possible in a short time. Thus, the idea would be to create a coworking unit, or “hub”, that can be replicated in various peripheries. These types of hubs can also combine coworking and coliving functions. As a conclusion, these prototypes of “plug-in coworking spaces” could be scalable in multiple marginal areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods after the pandemic. Being spread in peripheral areas and small towns, these centers may become social catalysts and create multiple activities that can be beneficial for large groups of populations and may change living, working, and mobility patterns after the pandemic.

Luxor, known as Thebes, is a world-famous monument and one of Egypt’s significant tourism hubs. Luxor’s shape and fabric tell a story of more than 4000 years of evolution and history. Luxor’s preservation and to be sustained is a challenge along with its history, which has been accompanied by constant physical reality, social reality, and administrative upheaval. In the last few decades, rising populations mixed with swarms of visitors visiting each year have wreaked more harm than thousands of years of erosion. Requests for Luxor’s preservation have been raised, with research and studies which have already been conducted; however, actuality is very much a challenge. A mock-up of the Luxor legacy was featured in the Luxor Mega resort and hotel project in Las Vegas (1989), as a symbol of the American Dream. The hotel, which has 4400 rooms and 120,000 square feet of casino space, was designed as big as the Great Pyramid of Egypt rising from the desert and attempting to match its spirit. Prefabricated “Egyptian” attractions and structures, such as replicas of graves and monuments of kings and queens, are strewn across the vast floor of Luxor. The economics of using replicas to market “tradition” as a tourism tool is remarkable. Contrary to popular belief, many people now link the name “Luxor” with “Luxor, Las Vegas,” instead of the ancient Egyptian metropolis of Luxor! The question asks itself, is the open museum of Luxor inspired by Luxor Las Vegas and vice versa? This leads to wondering about the authenticity that Egypt possesses but employs it incorrectly. The focus of the paper is important for two reasons: first, to highlight Luxor Tales, as well as the replica of the Luxor in Las Vegas, in terms of tourist administration and Heritage preservation, and foremost, to examine the old and new normalcy of Luxor history and its replica beyond 2020 and Covid-19. Furthermore, in this increasingly globalized world, this dialogue between the two Luxors’ issues due to cultural and intellectual property led to the creation of a new phenomenon that goes by Civilization Rights.

In a nutshell, the promotion of healthier lifestyles throughout the lifespan makes demands for an integrated and holistic approach to the physical and mental development of children, adults, and older adults. Seamless cooperation between the different layers of public authorities, as well as the different society stakeholders is essential, aiming to involve all and leave no one behind. Human ecosystems need local, regional, national, and European support to be able to grow, mainly by providing training and coaching for a more suitable development, as well as financial support to enable the involvement of fragile people with lower opportunities. The role of the European Commission is essential in supporting different elements of such ecosystems and relevant initiatives. One key aspect is to support the participation of grassroot organisations and help them link with international networks, essential in making the voice of citizens heard as a whole, as they are often fragmented and struggle to have their work valued. This paper is based on joint work developed by COST Action NET4Age-Friendly members, in response to the European Commission’s Green Paper on Ageing, which was under open consultation in 2021. Contributions are spread over different topics, selected from the Green Paper areas, and they provide a comprehensive summary of a few relevant ideas, from health to ICT and, of course, built environments. Social aspects are at the core of this paper, mainly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose effects involve both permanent and temporary changes that deeply affected society in both old-real and new-digital lives. NET4Age-Friendly recommends and supports, through its network, the creation and maintenance of local, regional, and national interconnected ecosystems in which all citizens, researchers, businesses, NGOs, health, and social care professionals and authorities are enabled to cooperate in a safe, educative, inclusive, and mixed social environment. Training opportunities, joint learning of skills regarding healthy lifestyles for all ages, friendly ICT usage, adequate housing and independent living, well-maintained and safe indoor and outdoor places and spaces, as well as safe circulation pathways for daily needs have become key areas for action, along with financial security, online connectivity, accessibility, and inclusiveness for all.

Recently, attention has been paid to loneliness and social isolation among older people. Solutions to both global phenomena, aggravated by the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the context of an ageing population, require multidisciplinary research at different levels. One such body of research, called ‘AIsola,’ aims at investigating social isolation among older people using expertise from research groups in architecture, social psychology, gerontology, and AI technology. The project uses as case studies four centres for older adults operated by the same service provider in the metropolitan area of the city of Tampere in Finland. Based on recent research on the use of AI solutions to detect and predict older people’s loneliness and social isolation, researchers are conducting mixed-method research including two complementary studies. The first is a technological study using AI-based wearable sensor technology to detect and predict social isolation of older adults living independently and regularly visiting the care facilities. The second is an empirical study of the spatial and social contexts of the same people. The research questions are: what are the context-related factors that affect social isolation at the scales of the city, the neighbourhood, and the building? What are the measures that potentially prevent social isolation of older adults by hybridising spatial-social and technological aspects? This paper describes the research methodology used by the architectural sub-group for the AIsola project. The methodology is a combination of: (1) observational studies of spatial settings based on physical and experiential parameters and (2) drawing-based analyses that use mapping and architectural ethnography as research tools. As a methods paper, the objective is to describe the ways in which an ongoing architectural investigation is being carried out, with the ultimate goal of defining the role of architects and research in architecture in solving the major societal challenges related to a post-COVID ageing population.

This paper aims to initiate discussion about the digital deconstruction of architecture as an education model in architecture. This begins by briefly outlining the architectural education and Covid-19 pandemic. Then, the relationship between deconstruction and architectural thinking is discussed in how it relates to education and, more specifically, discourse and representation of architecture. There is then a short literature review about the deconstruction theory and binary oppositions. The conclusion presents the objective, scope, definition, and method of the problem at the conceptual level using students’ digital works from the ‘Architecture and Deconstruction’ elective course. Jacques Derrida’s binary oppositions, which are used as a tool of conceptualization, have become an important tool that allows the exemplification of deconstruction theory in architecture. In conclusion, the paper aims total of 148 digital representations (79 images in buildings-spaces title and 69 images in portraits-bodies title) which are an indication that another experiences and new discourses are possible in architectural education through digital data.

This article is part of a doctoral research on analyzing the specialty of graphic design and visual communication. It discusses how the recent pandemic contributed to changes in the practical teaching of Graphic Design Projects and the impact on the subjects involved. Higher education in the discipline of graphic design has undergone profound changes since the beginning of the exceptional pandemic situation, and after almost two academic years of this experience, teachers and students still apply the methods and practices developed and implemented as a complement and resource during the pandemic. We observe how new ways of exhibiting, reflecting, monitoring, and validating projects were created through new digital resources that made it possible to fill the gap in face-to-face design educational techniques. In addition to distance learning tools, mixed modalities were also implemented in transitory phases of several states of emergency. To obtain satisfactory results and achieve the objectives proposed in the curricular units, it has been necessary to readjust the contents and the way of addressing the creative challenges that are posed to the students. We also need to articulate this need with availability that should be as close as possible to the classroom/creative studio dynamics. Therefore, we propose to present a set of data and advanced practices based on a close relationship, constant connection with the student and their project, by creating more autonomous learning paths, based on the use of available digital tools that allow the student to manage their creative process, advancing to cohesive results.

Starting from the formal and performative characteristics of places within cities designed for the purpose of the physical, social and cultural creation of places, this contribution examines the valorization of space and time to propose some reflections on the theme of rediscovery and proximity based on the concept that spatial relationships are important to propose a design model that also includes the control of urban well-being aspects. Experimentation through laboratories such as La.Stre of PAU Department, in particular university ones capable of connecting the energies of the first, second and third missions, can be the secret to offering a contribution to the complete cycle of the process: from conception to from the shared planning, from the comparison, from the realization process with choices as reversible as possible, up to the observation of the results, to introduce continuous corrections and reinterpretations of the phenomena. The experiences tend to verify the social impact of the proposal to highlight the impact of social, economic and environmental policies on the activation processes, of capacities and communities, which must ensure positive benefits for the health and life of the city. The parameters considered refer to: healthy and active life, urban and environmental safety, climate change, urban planning and design for neighborhoods, removal of architectural barriers, accessibility and proximity to services, participatory and inclusive processes for citizens. By acting on urban specificities and on the socio-economic and environmental distribution at the local level, the aim is to achieve well-being and health equity and to reduce or eliminate environmental and exposure risks.

The true meaning of “Bibliotheca” or a library was recognized. Unfortunately, the criteria recognized to establish this type of project develop according to political and social variables and aspects whenever a library is constructed. The new Library of Alexandria “Bibliotheca of Alexandria” underscores the development of a theoretical concept for the construction of modern libraries, as it fulfils the key rules of socio-cultural, scientific, and educational integration at the city centre. In addition, the historical background of this building is a landmark and attractive property for many citizens and foreigners. But the problem is: do the standards created by this library meet the global social and political changes and limitations that have occurred since the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic? Unfortunately, limited construction work has recently been undertaken regarding the number of visitors and the minimum permissible internal space of the Universal Library that can be visited. In addition, social activities such as indoor galleries, conferences, and meetings are kept to a minimum. Therefore, researchers sought to find answers to the above questions based on the historical background of the Library of Alexandria by comparing social and functional developments within the library according to functional variables. This paper also addresses the historical plans of the Library of Alexandria and shows the impact of social and political priorities on the internal transformation of the library to date. In addition, through an ethnographic design approach consisting of observational and computational methods, this paper defines key social indicators that help current libraries adapt to the current “COVID 19” situation. These social indicators are defined by expert research. Expert surveys are conducted individually, either directly, or in zoom meetings. Finally, the authors briefly illustrate the strategies that libraries can adopt towards the COVID-19 epidemic. They also describe some scenarios for the near future and point out some needed requirements for the future to cope with pandemics.

Cities, as the first recipients of crises, whether financial or health-related, are shaken, transformed, and survived, highlighting their resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic laid the groundwork for transforming key urban space features. For example, we can identify changes related to the use of urban space, and even the complete lack of use, the no use of urban space, as a result of government measures to limit the viral spread. Accordingly, we can outline changes related to the rapid creation of new, urgently needed infrastructure (such as hospitals) to respond to the crisis. Meanwhile, new forms of urbanity (and city models) are being created, inspired by health criteria (or principles of walkable communities), redefining how cities are perceived (people’s perception changing and actual concrete things). Greek cities, following the crisis of the pandemic, have transformed and adapted to new conditions. This article, in the first phase, reviews 1,063 articles associated with the impacts of COVID-19 on urban morphology. Then, it focuses on the Greek reality based on published material (peer-reviewed studies and articles, government documents, consumer journalism). The article aims to highlight how conditions, such as urban morphology, number, and form of open public spaces, or population density, influenced Greek cities’ resilience to the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a threshold in everyone’s life, consequently generating new spatial paradigms in architectural and urban sphere thinking. Especially, the relationship between man and space became a major subject of interrogation. The pandemic context required distant communication, remote working and learning, and isolation. Considering the possibility that similar pandemics might repeat the process revealed naturally certain lessons from which we must learn. First, it revealed the role of public spaces as a very important spatial quality that became quintessential in such a context. As such, their design and reconceptualization, especially in spatial terms, need to be reconsidered. Especially in mass and multi-family housing developments, their presence quantitatively and qualitatively needs to be increased. Interestingly, the remote working and teaching processes were also tested during the pandemic, and we learned that, apart from the limitations in terms of quality, there is a lot of potential in the distance working and learning process, not only in professional aspects but also in pedagogical aspects. Although it pushes towards more virtual reality, the pandemic worked as a “live” experience to understand the potential and extent of digital technologies in making such a reality possible. Last but not least, the lesson was related to the personalization of space through isolation for pandemic spread prevention reasons. Also, in this aspect several experimental designs were proposed; however, the nature of this operation on its own is featured by ontological limitations. Finally, it can be said that these lessons should rapidly be reflected in architectural and design pedagogical processes aiming to train the next generation of architects/urban planners. Also, the reflections should be implemented in the curricula and courses of these programmes, in order to avoid similar situations with adequate architectural solutions.