Mainstreaming Pandemic in Urban Planning: An Overview

Abstract

Cities, the main places where majority of the world population resides, are the centres of economic growth and innovation. Globally, the urban areas are facing public health emergency (Covid-19 pandemic), which has affected the economic and social lives of people and all the activities have come to a standstill. The issue of urban vulnerability has been brought up in context to pandemics and communities need to be prepared for it. The article focuses on the measures taken by the Indian government during the lockdown and about how successful were these measures in controlling the spread of the virus infection. The lacunae in the urban planning policies have been analysed with a focus on community participation in the decision-making to combat disasters. Examples of successful community participation in cities from India and abroad have been highlighted. Finally, policy initiatives have been identified by which the future epidemics can be handled in an organised manner, by making the urban planning process more citizen centric.