• Cities don't increase virus risk

    An analysis indicates that cases of COVID-19 are more related to what metro area you live in, rather than whether you live in the central city or a suburb. Transit also doesn’t correlate as a significant factor.
    More than a month ago, I wrote that the “ facts don’t support the density is dangerous narrative ” that was spreading in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. In mid-March, many articles speculated that the current crisis will lead to a new wave of suburban development as people flee cities. The...Read more

  • Planning for life in cities after the pandemic

    Here's how we can help our clients and communities transition to planning in the post-pandemic world.
    We’ve been here before. In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, heavy clouds hang over words like “density” and “urban.” These same clouds took shape in the aftermath of 9/11, when influential articles like a Blueprint for a Better City ( Wired , December 1, 2001) proclaimed “Density Kills,” and...Read more

  • What are the risks in reopening? State of Coronavirus in America

    At least half of the US population lives in states that are currently reopening, or making near-term plans to reopen, their economies in phases. The risks vary, because different states have higher or lower levels of confirmed cases and mortalities.
    The fourth State of Coronavirus in America report looks at recent cases and mortalities across the US. Neither of these measures is adequate alone. As states continue to increase testing, the number of positive cases will tend to rise, even as actual infections may fall. Nationally, the number of...Read more

  • Which states are ready to reopen? State of Coronavirus in America

    In this third State of Coronavirus in America report, Public Square examines the widely divergent health impacts across the US to look at how soon individual states may reopen their economies according to the new federal guidelines.
    The nation has made great progress in “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 in the last month, and many parts of the US will soon begin a phased reopening of their economies according to federal guidelines announced on April 16. Phase 1 of the reopening will be based on infection rates observed by...Read more