Cox on reconnecting with nature and rebuilding post-COVID

Prof. Robin Cox commented on drops in traffic, streets turned into physical distancing-friendly paths, and the greater value being placed on getting outside.

Here is an excerpt:

"We are witnessing in many areas, particularly urban environments, people … reconnecting with the value of nature to them and to their lives, as other aspects of their lives get more constrained," said Cox, who is also the director of the Resilience by Design Research Innovation Lab.

The devastating global impacts of the pandemic have exposed or amplified fault lines in many sectors, she said — from social inequities on health outcomes to the fragility of global supply chains for food and medical supplies.

[…]

It's hard to say for sure whether temporary interventions like a few closed streets will translate to long-term policy change, said Cox.

But hallmarks of communities that have faced disaster and come back better include slow, purposeful rebuilding, she said, along with early community engagement. Crises disrupt the "normal," she said, and should be followed by questions about what wasn't working.

This article appeared at CBC Manitoba.