ISSN 2348-1218 (print) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 8, Issue 3, pp: (1-5), Month: July - September 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Public Spaces of Developing Countries Post COVID-19: A Reflection on Current Situation from Planning Perspective in Case of Kabul City, Afghanistan Rashid A. Mushkani 1, 2, Haruka Ono 3, 4 1
Graduate Student, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Japan 2
Assistant Instructor, Engineering Faculty, Kabul University, 1006 Kabul, Afghanistan; rashid.mushkan@ku.edu.af 3
Lecturer, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Japan 4
Center for Sustainable Development Studies, Toyo University; ono.haruka@ace.tut.ac.jp
Abstract: Social distancing, stay home & stay safe and avoiding public space usage has been the slogan to battle against an invisible enemy (COVID-19 pandemic), these measures are placed by the government to minimize transmission of the disease between urban residents, In pace with developed countries many developing countries across the world as well simulated same measures to reduce transmission and contain the disease, although it is believed that the outcomes would be different (WHO, 2020), yet most of the residents are complying with public health officials recommendations, empty street, minimal public spaces, parks and plazas usage are evidence of this scenario. The aim of this paper is to examine the impacts of current situation i.e. COVID-19 pandemic countermeasure on public spaces, propose tentative planning and design incentives for developing countries and encourage research on how the planning and design of our cities can evolve and be more resilient for similar future challenges. Keywords: Public space; planning; COVID-19; human behaviour; air pollution; Kabul city.
I. INTRODUCTION Aftermath of current situation, many scenarios are possible for both types of countries; human interaction and their relationship with each other and built environment could be overwhelmingly altered, yet the depth of this alteration is unclear, currently primary means of communication between people is sign language in urban public spaces and digital communications on individual scale, both of them are emerging for expression of feelings with claims of getting to be the primary tools of interaction instead of physical, experiential and on in-situ observational communications in the developed countries, due to the lack of technological amenities for much of the developing countries the situation has not been the same. This article has measured some of the emerging changes and potentials in post COVID-19 world contextual to developing countries, mainly focused on Kabul city, Afghanistan. As a consequence of temporary governmental policies to fight against the outbreak of the pandemic from a top down approach, life has been halted and due to the closure of businesses, educational and governmental institutions in Kabul city there has been a swing in behaviour of public space users on district and regional level; without reliable public transport residents used to commute by cars throughout the city, now automobiles are parked inside houses or parking’s and users are outside commuting through sustainable gears, neighbourhood streets are without traffic, yet active and has become children’s territory, see Fig.1.
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