The merging of physical and cyber urban space: towards sustainability after COVID-19

Abstract

Since the outburst of COVID-19 pandemic, and the start of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as lockdowns and social distancing, we have analyzed changes in the way citizens relate to one another and to the new configuration of their city. Through initiatives aimed for solidarity issues, commercial activities, and infrastructure, individuals and groups have incorporated social sensing, new and existing online platforms, and new networks, in order to survive, help, and navigate the new urban conditions. Analyzing case studies in Lima, Peru, we have evaluated how sustainability plays a role in the new urban dynamics, which seem to reshape the city and the ways we interact in it. We argue that, even though economy seems to be the main reason for the changes in the studied initiatives, social and environmental changes can be identified, as possible long-term effects or solutions, even after the sanitary emergency.