Abstract
Global cities have become cities of patholopolis, containers of disease, including COVID-19. Cities were temporarily incapacitated during COVID-19 lockdown and stay-at-home measures. The city retreated into its shell like a snail and remained quiet to the dictates of the invisible COVID-19 disease. From board rooms to streets, the city paused breathing, gasping for air literally. As of May 24, 2020, there are 166,019 cases and 2067 deaths in Nigeria (NCDC, 2021). The number of cases and deaths defies logic when compared to the rest of the world even with the non-compliance with lockdown measures. Urban areas have become the epicentre of the pandemic with an estimated 90 percent of all reported COVID-19 cases (UN-Habitat, 2020). In Nigeria, the transmissibility of COVID-19 was exacerbated by non-compliance with social distancing, inadequate infrastructure to support pandemic-related preparedness in living conditions, and crowded slum dwellings. There has been blatant disregard or non-compliance especially in public places and spaces. Widespread disbelief of the existential threat of COVID-19 and the lack of trust in the Nigerian Government is also noticeable. This paper discusses the impacts of city form, crowding and community (living conditions) on the health of residents and vulnerability to COVID-19 in Nigeria. Lack of appropriate infrastructures and poor accessibility in slums and high-density neighbourhoods makes residents in these areas susceptible to communicable diseases. Paper adopts the healthy cities concept and discusses the principles related to health needs and actions in post-pandemic preparedness. Paper explores sustainable and resilient planning and health approaches for a safe post-pandemic future. A theoretical paper with practical illustrations from cities in Nigeria. Data from secondary sources, literature review, textbooks, journal articles will be utilised and anecdotal examples will be drawn from cities in Nigeria. Patrick Geddes characterized the “stages of urban existence in Rome in the First century B.C as parasitopolis and patholopolis: the city of parasites and the city of diseases” (Mumford, 1961/1989:230). The city of Hygeia, though utopia, can be applied in building back better and post-pandemic preparedness. To avert the human and environmental catastrophes of a future pandemic, cities have to move from patholopolis, city of diseases, to Hygeia, the city of health. A healthy city is one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential (Hancock and Duhl, 1988). COVID-19 lockdowns exposed the inequities and inequalities in the city form, crowding and communal living. Restrictions and proximity resulted in increased gender-based violence, spread of other communicable diseases, and interstate border restriction preventing the flow of food and other resources. Formlessness and uncontained city sprawl compounds accessibility and makes social and physical distancing unrealistic. COVID-19 transmissibility is increased in high density neighbourhoods with rooming types and traditional compound housing types with no space to isolate. Shared sanitary facilities and lack of hand washing basins precludes the spread of disease in these housing typologies. The culture of congregating in open markets, religious places, schools, streets, and motor parks/garages, all constitute magnets for crowding and disease spread. Post-pandemic preparedness is fundamental in achieving the city of Hygeia. Unlocking the planning and health challenges in Nigerian cities or other cities globally entails building and maintaining resilient infrastructure-soft and hard- in sustainable ways leaving no one behind. Our living environments must be healthy, resilient, inclusive, and strengthened for community placemaking that enhances biophilia and embraces community engagement.
