The Berlin-based urban geography and policy consultancy Multiplicities has started a new blog compiling urban perspectives of dealing with the crisis. The authors argue that urban policy responses need to go through three phases: co-developing urgent medical and practical equipment and other relevant infrastructure to save lives; developing secondary equipment, material infrastructures and small-scale interventions to cope with physical distance over longer periods; and co-developing tools, infrastructures and services to restart the urban economy. In all phases, models of urban co-creation and collaborative creative practices, such as those well-known from Berlin, play a key role – although also these models now need to find new formats in line with the premises of “social distancing”. To date, examples are presented from Berlin, Birmingham and Lisbon on the blog.

photo by: Bastian Lange