We're in the throes of a global pandemic that will have enormous costs in lives, dollars, and our everyday understandings of how we live. Some things may bounce back quickly. Some things may never bounce back. We are, as some people have described, in a "fog of war." Uncertainty has spiked. Our government, scientific, health, and financial institutions will be pushed to the breaking point in terms of practical capacity, but also in terms of granted authority and public trust.
Our need for spaces and environments will not disappear, obviously, though the near term demand, especially in sectors like travel and hospitality will suffer. We may never go back to work in the same way, but we will still need places to work, even if they are in the places that we live. For those who have dedicated their lives to thinking about buildings and cities and how we live in them, the need for your services will not evaporate. How we think about the built environment will certainly change, but the need for this thinking may be more necessary than ever.
What are the scenarios, beyond the immediate crisis, and what might they mean for our built environment? What, now, deserves reconsideration?