Resilience is all about networking

What is the COVID-19 pandemic teaching us? How important communities are - and how much we lack them. That innovation and adaptability are more in demand than ever. That digitization offers enormous opportunities - and that we should make more use of them after returning to normal. And above all: that networking and robustness are essential for the success of any system.

Cooperation and networking are the key strategies for the development of cities. Small-scale networks like the 15-minute city make our cities robust. Digitization and networking strengthen partnerships and lead to emergence of new urban innovations. As the design theorist Benjamin H. Bratton emphasizes, resilient automation (food and necessities delivery systems) is keeping the stressed social fabric intact. Home office and remote schooling are helping us to keep economies running and educate our youth. Bottom-up initiatives in social networking are emerging to mitigate social isolation and support locked down vulnerable residents in need and small businesses hit by shutdowns.

While the digital world is working perfectly, what are the learnings for the physical world? How important new approaches are for a resilient city. sa_partners dedicates the ongoing research within the Spacelab to such new approaches. In addition to the opportunities of digitization and networking, it is particularly important to rethink our communities and public spaces.