Future of Cities: In a Post-Pandemic Period

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has receded, uncertainty regarding the future of cities continues to pose difficult questions, especially related to the vibrancy of downtowns (or more commonly known as the Central Business District in Singapore). Understanding the endurance of hybrid and remote work patterns alongside spillover impacts for mobility and housing is crucial to urban planning, infrastructure investment, and urban sustainability. This seminar focuses on urban changes precipitated and accelerated by the pandemic and examines the role of governments and policymakers, civic and institutional leaders, and others invested in supporting urban vibrancy within the context of change. Drawing on case study examples, including a recent study of Toronto, the presentation highlights the challenges cities face and identifies opportunities for generating resilience. Relevance of the research to Singapore and in the context of world cities, including that in Southeast Asia will also be discussed.

Speaker

Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto Mississaug

Shauna Brail is Associate Professor and Director at the Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto Mississauga and holds a cross-appointment at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. As an economic geographer and urban planner, her research focuses on the transformation of cities as a result of economic, social, and cultural change. Brail’s research encompasses studies of broad urban economic changes and challenges associated with 21st century cities – including the impacts of COVID-19 on cities; the relationship between cities and the digital platform economy, with a particular emphasis on ridehailing; and shifts in urban governance, policy and planning in connection to innovation and technological change. Brail advises governments and civic society organizations, both in Canada and internationally, on matters relating to urban economic change, housing and transportation policy innovation, and the regulation of digital platform technologies. She is an editorial board member at Applied Geography, Canadian Geographies, Progress in Economic Geography and Urban Geography.

Moderator

Orlando Woods, Professor, Singapore Management University

Orlando Woods is Associate Professor of Geography and Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Programmes) and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at the College of Integrative Studies. He is also the Director and Pillar Lead (Urban Life) at the Urban Institute. His interdisciplinary research agenda spans social, cultural and political geography; urban studies; new media and communications; and critical infrastructure studies. His areas of expertise coalesce into three thematic groupings: religion, regulation and the market; smart cities and urban infrastructures; and the affective economics of online gaming. His work focusses empirically on South and Southeast Asia. His research is regularly published in leading disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals, including Annals of the American Association of Geographers, New Media and Society, Political Geography, Transactions of the British Institute of Geographers and Urban Studies