COVID-19 crisis has changed the way we use and think about our cities. In many ways, the pandemic has brought people closer together, emphasising the importance of our neighbourhoods and communities. It has changed the way we work. However, Covid- 19 has also exposed the inequality that has existed before the pandemic and raised the matters of inclusion high on the recovery agenda. These issues have a direct effect on the present and the future of urban planning and design.
In this interview of the INCLUSIVE URBAN FUTURES, we talk with Wei Yang, PhD, Immediate Past President of the Royal Town and Planning Institute (RTPI) in the United Kingdom, Chair of Wei Yang & Partners, Honorary Professor at UCL, FAcSS FRTPI.
Dr Yang underlines the crucial role the planning profession, urban planners, and designers have to play at this moment in time. She discusses the ways the planning profession in the UK and internationally should be modernised to meet the current changes in city design, as well as more effectively advance inclusion, community cohesion, and combat inequality.
“Inequality, equality, and inclusion [and spatial design] are strongly connected” she highlights. “For example, during quarantine, a lot of people worked at home. Those that have access to the internet, had access to education, work, good services, entertainment. But [access to the internet] doesn’t mean you have good access to light, space, and clean air. Therefore, spatial inclusion has become a priority”
Dr Yang said among other important issues and emphasised that access to technology as well as light, clean air, and space are key to providing a better quality of life and inclusion in society. To discover more tune in and listen to this INCLUSIVE URBAN FUTURES episode!
Follow Dr Yang at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Yang_(urban_designer)
Website of Wei Yang and Partners: https://www.weiyangandpartners.co.uk/
Find our host and Executive Producer Dr Orna Rosenfeld at: www.ornarosenfeld.com