Pandemics Are Also an Urban Planning Problem

[grandrollerz]

https://www.citylab.com/design/2020/03/coronavirus-urban-planning-global-cities-infectious-disease/607603/

 

What else can you do during the lockdown but talk about it? I read this when City Lab tweeted it and it sparked all kinds of thoughts. How will public transit be shaped after this. What changes will we see to public urban spaces? Private spaces for that matter. Seeing the extreme measures we've taken in (appropriate) response at Spectrum Health, I start to wonder how you go about dialing back the restrictions. This will have a lasting impact. How's it impacting you?

 

My question in the MSU thread was: how is this impacting construction outside? Projects will presumably stall?

 

Sent from my Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T, C738T) using Tapatalk

 

 

[elcelc]

We haven't seen anything yet but it's definitely on our radar.  My projects haven't been closed in yet and  are still in the framing stages so nice and open.  Once they get enclosed, I bet some trades might think twice.  The other thing to consider is anything with a supply chain.  If the metal stud fabricator or insulation manufacturer closes up then there's a problem.

[Khorasaurus1]

I'm worried about what will happen to the buildings under construction once they open - most notably the hotels. Presumably, they won't open until everything is back to "normal", but "normal" may mean substantially less travel for a while. 

[Chisox]

7 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

I'm worried about what will happen to the buildings under construction once they open - most notably the hotels. Presumably, they won't open until everything is back to "normal", but "normal" may mean substantially less travel for a while. 

What people are hoping for is an all clear like a tornado warning being lifted that moves through without touch down. Everyone just goes back to business as usual, but demand is either put in a different quarter or it's just not going to materialize at all. I think everything is going to be phased, and it's going to be a test, retest, and then an eventual all clear will be given if their feedback loop allows for it. 

The bright spot is I'm hearing young people are making 20$/hr at local grocery stores with mandatory overtime  stocking shelves.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Chisox

[ModSquad]

On 3/22/2020 at 6:10 PM, elcelc said:

We haven't seen anything yet but it's definitely on our radar.  My projects haven't been closed in yet and  are still in the framing stages so nice and open.  Once they get enclosed, I bet some trades might think twice.  The other thing to consider is anything with a supply chain.  If the metal stud fabricator or insulation manufacturer closes up then there's a problem.

Several of our modular home construction plants had to close down last week because they could not get their materials from several key suppliers.  About 50% of the lumber they use comes from Canada and they say getting the lumber they need is a problem as well.

[MJLO]

1 hour ago, ModSquad said:

Several of our modular home construction plants had to close down last week because they could not get their materials from several key suppliers.  About 50% of the lumber they use comes from Canada and they say getting the lumber they need is a problem as well.

The border is still open for trade.  I'm sure there are still disruptions regardless.  I know we have a major Canadian supplier as well, though we haven't had disruptions yet. 

[Raildude's dad]

Transport of wholesale materials is exempt from the Governors order. I'm working on keeping lumber moving into a fabricator. Now whether the fabricator can be open is another story.  I serously doubt the fabricator is ordering more material but the stuff in transit by rail needs to be delivered. Interesting times for sure.  I'm working from my home for my day job.  Our road construction projects are critical infrastructure per MDOT guidance so I have lots of paperwork to take care of. to keep me from getting too bored at home.

[walker]

In order to help keep urbanplanet safe from the virus. I've temporarily masked my profile picture.

[walker]

WOODTV article today listing how twenty projects have been affected by COVID-19:

WOODTV: how-covid-19-hit-20-projects-in-2020

Edited September 28, 2020 by walker
fix typo

[walker]

In real life I've been fully vaccinated since late February but while the pandemic was still raging I decided to continue with my masked avatar here on urbanplanet.  However with the recent CDC guidelines statement I've decided it is safe to restore my unmasked avatar:

masked avatar:

restored avatar: 

By the way, does anyone recognize the sources of these avatars?  There's no prize for knowing.  In a few days if no one guesses and I don't forget or lose interest, I will reveal the sources (whether anyone cares or not.) 

[HavingAhoot]

I know one is from the famous painting Nighthawk..  

[walker]

20 minutes ago, HavingAhoot said:

I know one is from the famous painting Nighthawk..  

Very good:

 

The other one is from a  pandemic parody of Nighthawks in The New Yorker:

 

[walker]

1 hour ago, HavingAhoot said:

I know one is from the famous painting Nighthawk..  

And speaking of avatars, your avatar is of architect Daniel Burnham of "Make no little plans they have no magic to stir men's blood" fame.

[RegalTDP]

Bumping this two-year-old thread to bring this article on how WFH trends will change work culture and what it means for downtowns: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/work-from-home-revolution/622880/ (FYI The Atlantic only gives you a few articles before there's a paywall)

It's interesting these trends are happening when we're having some high-profile offices being built in Downtown GR (Spectrum, Perrigo, Acrisure).  But I wonder what it means for the office buildings already up.  And even when Spectrum/Perrigo etc. are completed, they may not have all their employees working downtown at once, and that may dampen the positive effects for downtown retail.  I know we've talked about this on other threads at times.

But that said, I've worked in LA for close to ten years now and can't really speak anymore to the work culture in GR.  But here in LA, there are some companies are giving up their office space entirely and going fully remote.  For me and many of the companies I work with, I'm definitely seeing hybrid emerge as the dominant model for a while.  For us it feels like the five day work week is giving way to a 24/7 week with less emphasis on working within set hours.   Anyone else have thoughts about GR?

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, RegalTDP said:

Bumping this two-year-old thread to bring this article on how WFH trends will change work culture and what it means for downtowns: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/work-from-home-revolution/622880/ (FYI The Atlantic only gives you a few articles before there's a paywall)

It's interesting these trends are happening when we're having some high-profile offices being built in Downtown GR (Spectrum, Perrigo, Acrisure).  But I wonder what it means for the office buildings already up.  And even when Spectrum/Perrigo etc. are completed, they may not have all their employees working downtown at once, and that may dampen the positive effects for downtown retail.  I know we've talked about this on other threads at times.

But that said, I've worked in LA for close to ten years now and can't really speak anymore to the work culture in GR.  But here in LA, there are some companies are giving up their office space entirely and going fully remote.  For me and many of the companies I work with, I'm definitely seeing hybrid emerge as the dominant model for a while.  For us it feels like the five day work week is giving way to a 24/7 week with less emphasis on working within set hours.   Anyone else have thoughts about GR?

I know some local companies are really starting to ask workers to come back to the office more and more, especially with covid cases bottoming out in Kent County.  Your 24/7 comment is pretty on-point, because if you work remotely, it sometimes gives the impression you're available all the time. I don't work in an office, but I think I'd rather go into an office now, and then leave the work behind for the evening and weekends. Vs working from home all the time and being "available" all the time. 

[grandrollerz]

I still firmly believe the preference for remote work is a function of suburban sprawl, the lack of available urban housing and piss-poor urban schooling options.  The primary reason *I* hear for people wanting to sty remote is the commute: "I get two hours of my day back by not having to commute!"  Of course these protestations are louder in the winter with the added danger of said commute.   Well crap, don't move so far away then!

The historical preference for suburban schools being that they are safer and better (and whiter?).  If we could fix the schools, have affordable housing and end racism (lol, certainly no easy task),...maybe we could attract more workers to live in urban areas and eliminate the primary barriers to "getting to the office"? I can't wait for to get back to the office full time, that said my commute is all of 4 minutes by bike.

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, grandrollerz said:

I still firmly believe the preference for remote work is a function of suburban sprawl, the lack of available urban housing and piss-poor urban schooling options.  The primary reason *I* hear for people wanting to sty remote is the commute: "I get two hours of my day back by not having to commute!"  Of course these protestations are louder in the winter with the added danger of said commute.   Well crap, don't move so far away then!

The historical preference for suburban schools being that they are safer and better (and whiter?).  If we could fix the schools, have affordable housing and end racism (lol, certainly no easy task),...maybe we could attract more workers to live in urban areas and eliminate the primary barriers to "getting to the office"? I can't wait for to get back to the office full time, that said my commute is all of 4 minutes by bike.

Nobody here has a two hour commute per day. Maybe if you live out in Sand Lake or in Newaygo. I live in the burbs and can be downtown in 12 minutes (15 minutes in the winter). 

A friend of mine had to take the bus as his car was totaled recently. THAT took an hour each way. Yeesh. 

A lot of people are buying further and further out because of the housing shortage. Land costs are a lot lower the further you go out, and building restrictions are less stringent, so new housing is generally cheaper. 

Only about 30% of households in the county have school-aged children, so while schools are important for some people, they're generally not important for most. In fact, I think I read that the number of households with 1 inhabitant in Kent County (and nationally) is at a record high. Over 30%. 

[arcturus]

You should see the number of posts from the 20's - 30's remote crowd looking to become wannabe RV nomads complaining about high rent and unaffordable home entry pricing.

This has fueled an explosive increase in RV demand with rural areas, once rarely frequented out of season, becoming one giant nationwide 'suburb' with a semi-permanent presence.  The twist is many of these RV's stay put.

Funny to think that traditional home builders like Pulte are competing against the mobile homebuilding industry with the likes of Jayco, Winnebago, and Forest River.  Last I heard, Thor Industries had $15 billion in backorders.

[cstonesparty]

15 minutes ago, arcturus said:

You should see the number of posts from the 20's - 30's remote crowd looking to become wannabe RV nomads complaining about high rent and unaffordable home entry pricing.

This has fueled an explosive increase in RV demand with rural areas, once rarely frequented out of season, becoming one giant nationwide 'suburb' with a semi-permanent presence.  The twist is many of these RV's stay put.

Funny to think that traditional home builders like Pulte are competing against the mobile homebuilding industry with the likes of Jayco, Winnebago, and Forest River.  Last I heard, Thor Industries had $15 billion in backorders.

I've known three 30-something families that have decamped to semi-nomadic RV life in recent years and had incredible experiences.  There's a lot of appeal to that concept for those that don't need to EVER report to an office or be local to clients, etc...