The dark cloud that is the 2020 Pandemic of COVID-19 has made this silver lining more visible than it has ever been. The earth seems to have gotten its act together and cleaned up with record breaking reduction in air pollution, globally.
This graph shows direct measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at ground-level taken from Kenmore Square in Boston, Mass using publicly available data from the Environmental Protection Agency and Open AQ. Measurements indicate that, after the stay-at-home advisory on March 23, NO2 concentrations are significantly down compared to the same time in the previous few years. Prepared by Jeff Geddes, a BU College of Arts & Sciences assistant professor of earth and environment.
The graph shows difference in Nitrogen Dioxide levels within a span of 3 months. So, what changed in these 3 months? The answer is simple- Humans.
The pandemic is certainly a global disaster on many fronts- from exposing the limitations in healthcare to the lack of readiness to face such calamities, to questioning and reassessing the abilities of leadership worldwide in dealing with a situation the likes of which have not been seen on the planet in a century. But it certainly has come with an unexpected positive- putting a halt to human interference, forcing us all to take a break, letting nature take a breather. The change in the environment has gotten us to a realization that it is indeed us humans that have been killing the planet and the various ecosystems slowly over the years. Now, what do we do with this realization? We are breathing the freshest air we have breathed in decades. Do we want to continue breathing this fresh air, or are we so used to what we had before that we go back to square one once the forced restrictions are lifted and the fear of the virus has subsided?
The earth has had short standstills in the past, nothing in recent history to the scale we have seen now, but after every hiccup, we pick ourselves up and get back to it. The resilience of the human spirit is truly commendable in this regard, but human vision is hampered by short term goals. We go back to thinking we control the environment, while it is very much the other way round. No matter how developed humankind may get, nature is not an easy beast to tame. As rejuvenated the climate may be currently, unless we make structural changes to how we deal with our environment, nothing changes. Structural changes are made through policies. As architects and designers, we are not policy makers, but we can be difference makers. We must ask ourselves how do we do our part in creating a world where this fresh air remains available to us all year round for years to come?
As designers we talk about comfort levels. As architects and planners we talk about livable cities. What makes cities livable? What makes places comfortable? I don’t have all the solutions to these questions, maybe no single individual does, but collectively, we are capable of coming up with solutions, which could certainly improve the solutions we currently have in our system.
New York- NO2 levels March 2019 (left) vs March 2020 (right)- before the lockdown was in full effect
Source- Sentinel-5P satellite data processed by Descartes labs https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/22/climate/coronavirus-usa-traffic.html
Architects and designers have the ability, or rather, responsibility to promote healthier lifestyles through our services. We develop infrastructure which defines how an entity- a city, a neighborhood, a building-functions. We have the power to focus that infrastructure towards promoting healthier and cleaner environments. There are plenty of avenues that support in this vision, but right now, I shall be focusing on commuting. Commuting is one of, if not the biggest factors that increase carbon emissions. Sixty five percent of Boston’s emissions come from cars and SUV’s, according to the Boston Transportation Department. Promoting infrastructure that encourages the use of public transport, that encourages the use of sustainable vehicles like electric cars can go a long way in making a start. Steven Higashide, director of research and report author at TransitCenter, said “The climate crisis shows us that we really have to think about putting people to work in ways that de-carbonize transportation.” And so I will just highlight a few possible, well known solutions that we could refresh into our conscious minds that can help in achieving these ambitions.
There are 3 major reasons why more electric vehicles are not visible on the road- cost of the vehicle, the lack of understanding and willingness to accept new technology, and access to sufficient charging stations. We do not have much control over 2 of these 3 factors, but we certainly can promote the inclusion of electric charging stations. A survey conducted as part of the 2019 Climate Action Plan Update revealed that 45 percent of Bostonians would purchase an electric vehicle if they had access to a charger. When you buy a gas-fueled car, you know what you get without having to ask yourself many questions. It can drive for many hundreds of miles before refueling. If it needs gas, you go to a gas station- they’re everywhere. If you decide to take a road trip, refueling stops are not something that impact your decision. None of that is true for electric vehicles; not yet, anyway. When you buy an electric vehicle, the most common questions that are asked are “What’s the range, what’s the battery life, and is there a charging infrastructure at my home, at my work, or in between that will accommodate my lifestyle?”. All these questions center around the ability to ‘re-fuel’. At STA, we have encountered these problems when the decision was made to do our part and switch to an electric vehicle. Every new employee goes through a ‘training’ of the new company car which would not be necessary for a gas fueled car, and we remain uber conscious of the miles clocked on the car and the available charging stations. The architecture fraternity certainly has the ability to help in this regard by making these ‘re-fueling’ stations more available, that go beyond just the basic regulations and minimum requirements. The city of Boston in its venture to go Carbon neutral by 2050 has begun taking initiatives in setting up an infrastructure for these needs. As designers who lay out campuses and parking spaces, we certainly have the power to add our stamp in future discussions.
Promoting and developing more and more bicycle routes and dedicated cycle tracks along major roads is another way we can make a world of difference. Some cities have already taken the initiatives while their residents are self-isolating at home. Bogota, Colombia, for example, opened nearly 72 miles of new bike routes to encourage bicycling, ease congestion and support social distancing. Apart from just constructing more bicycle paths, inclusion and addition of bicycle parking and storage locations encourage the use of cycling as a means of commuting. Providing amenities like showers at workspaces also helps encourage people to make the decision to switch to cycling as a regular means of commute. Not only does this promote a healthier environment but a healthier lifestyle for the people that are impacted by the service provided by designers.
Image source- https://bikesiliconvalley.org/2017/04/class-4-bike-lanes-stevens-creek-driveways-bus-lanes-traffic-lights/
These are steps which we as architects and designers of the cities very much capable of taking to better promote the use of more sustainable options. There have been multiple suggestions by experts and novices alike about having some sort of government mandated lock-down periodically even once the pandemic is past us. The reality though is that a lock-down like we have lived through in the last 3 months is not a luxury that majority of the population can endure repeatedly, but those of us who are privileged to have the opportunities and the luxuries of continuing to work from home without major impact on the productivity should look at having periodic short term lock-downs that can help nature catch its breath every now and again. Going back to the uncontrolled exploitation of our planet and resources will not only make the entire recent rejuvenation redundant but also accelerate further deterioration. And it would also be indicative of humankind’s inability to learn from its past mistakes. We have lived through the biggest global pandemic since 1918, but now is the time to ensure we don’t go back to repeating the mistakes that have led us to this state. Lets not forget that before most of us knew what coronavirus was, we were facing the threat of climate change, a threat that hasn’t disappeared, yet. But the last 3 months have shown that if we make changes to the way we use the planet, the planet is capable of enduring and reviving itself.
-Imran
