Mobility is one of the key concerns in the post-Covid recovery. The pandemic that has forced millions to stay at home for extended periods of time has surely changed habits, and the consequences of this are likely to last well into the future. This is true both from the standpoint of work arrangements – with companies already predicting significant future reductions in hours spent in the office – and with regards to leisure activity and consumption. Flexibility in the use of public spaces and an increased dependence on home deliveries are becoming part of the new normal.
These phenomena have a significant influence on how cities are managed, public transportation in particular. Studies show an increase in the perceived lack of security of public transportation, even though there is no scientific evidence pointing to that. This along with a rise in the use of private vehicles obliges a reorganization of public transportation and its sustainability, not least in terms of costs. Although there are no pat answers to the problem, which should instead be examined in function of the needs and specificities of individual urban areas, it is possible to pinpoint objectives for each transformation, i.e. to offer citizens mobility services based on a range of solutions.
Multimodality, a topic that’s been on the table for decades now, has regained post-pandemic centrality, especially considering the possibilities created by the use of high technology and data. These not only facilitate medium and long-term planning but can also become instruments in the daily management of a service destined to become more flexible and increasingly “on demand” now that the concept of rush hour will have disappeared. Technology must serve then to supplement public transportation with new forms of shared private mobility and micro-mobility, some of which have been tested with considerable success over the past year.
Enhancing citizens’ experience of mobility by offering a complete service means guiding the current urban transition with a view to creating public discussion and consensus on the goals of sustainability. Since individual behavior is going to be pivotal to urban transformation, it is important to recall that automobiles are sure to remain the first choice for years to come, especially in vast suburban areas and among the older segments of a rapidly aging population. In this sense, it is important to consider the proposal for developing neighborhoods that fit into the “15-minute city” model.
Nevertheless, a balance will have to be struck in the future between a diversified and concrete mobility overhaul and other more far-reaching themes. Mobility is not only a physical issue; it is also an indispensable factor in the human progress on which today’s societies are founded. At the same time, accessibility and proximity to services must not obscure the rich sense of scale provided by metropolises that they are destined to remain poles of activity and attraction.
The multiple aspects of urban transformations must therefore be coordinated through efficient and effective governance, rendering the post-Covid recovery an opportunity not only to revive the economic vitality of cities but also their livability.