Three years ago, when the World Health Organization preached COVID-19 pandemic, humanity was called upon to adapt to the unprecedented conditions of a new life in a short time and, as it turned out, for a long time.

Cities have emptied, people have been locked in their homes, global transportation has ground to a halt, and work has changed character.

But in three years, what has changed and what has remained the same?

What changed

Covid-19 has proven to be devastating to people’s psychology due to extensive and prolonged restrictions. But if anything positive comes out of all this, it’s how the world turned to pedals and governments to strengthen cycling infrastructure.

One of the cities that stood out in this field was Milan, where, after a month of strict lockdown, the municipality presented its plan to change 35 kilometers of walking and cycling paths. The mayor of Paris strongly supported the initiative, even in Brussels they laid 40 km of bike paths.

In many areas, the unusual nature of these lanes has proven to be permanent.

OUR distribution of places in bars and restaurants on squares, sidewalks, streets and parksto avoid crowding indoors, the use of public spaces has been revised.

In Paris, many streets have been turned into sidewalks, and three city groves are being maintained. In Brussels, as part of the city’s Good Living program, sidewalks have been expanded, with at least 10-15 of all sidewalks set aside for plants and trees.

In terms of focus, some districts have decided to return to pre-crisis store layouts, while others, such as Barcelona and Pamplona, ​​have made the “tables outside” plan permanent, which, however, caused a backlash from many citizens. for using the pandemic as an alibi for the privatization of public spaces.

The work culture has experienced a real revolution due to the pandemic, which in many cases has even taken hold.

According to real estate company Colliers, only 31% of jobs in EMEA countries (Europe, Middle East and Africa) are at maximum capacity.

In Brussels, where 97% of companies offer the option to work from home, a quarter of workers say they go to the office mainly to save energy.

However, changes in the way we work and transport have proven disastrous for businesses that have relied on working customers.

Good ventilation has become a key public health issue during the pandemic, and some governments have chosen to keep the change going.

In Belgium, for example, a new law coming into force in July requires public spaces to have CO2 indicators, and from 2025 they will need to have air quality certificates.

Improved ventilation could have many health benefits, according to a recent study, as indoor pollution now results in the loss of over 2 million healthy life years in the European Union alone.

What remains the same

As lockdowns forced traffic restrictions, Europe’s major cities breathed a sigh of relief as nitrogen dioxide levels – mostly from road transport – plummeted and the atmosphere cleared.

However, the reduced pollution was not to remain as life returned to normal, as did traffic on the roads.

Even before the pandemic, Europe was facing a deep housing crisis. Between 2010 and 2021, property purchase prices in the European Union rose by 37% and rents by 16%.

Although prices fell in the first year of the pandemic, the decline proved to be temporary and limited to major cities.

The cost of living and the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have exacerbated the impact on households, who in many cases struggle to make ends meet paying housing and utility bills.

The gradual resumption of travel, even before the end of the pandemic, introduced a new term into the international lexicon – “revenge tourism”.

This is a concept, although many people dislike it and feel that it should not characterize travel, it is used to describe covering up lost ground due to the pandemic.

By 2021, even though Europe was still in a morass of green passes, vaccination certificates and signed documents, overnight stays in tourist destinations were two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels, according to Eurostat. While in the first half of 2022, the number of overnight stays increased again by 86% compared to the pre-pandemic rate.

Social distancing, in short, a mandatory series of measures to maintain distance between citizens in order to, if not stop, then at least slow the spread of the virus, was one of the main recommendations of the health authorities.

A distance of at least 1.5 meters between people in shops and public places has entailed strict measures in public transport as well as in public buildings.

This measure has failed in many cases, especially in vehicles where crossbreeding could not be avoided, and three years later and after several doses of the vaccine, it seems like a distant memory.

Source: Politico