Inclusive (Healthy and Eco-City) City Planning Prepares for Future Urban Challenges in a Post-pandemic Asian Society

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the global economy, but it also reshaped urban life. This pandemic pushed a new global standard for urban planning practice incorporating current and future urban planning. It is unambiguous that the current pandemic will significantly impact urban life through healthier eco-city planning, colloquially referred to as “inclusive planning.” In light of the post-pandemic situation, future cities must strive to be more inclusive, with eco-friendly development practices and a design that prioritises ecosystem services to coexist with nature. While urban areas in Asian countries have survived numerous disasters in the past, they have not fared when preparing for new ones. This study aims to forecast the future direction of urban planning, revise current practices to prepare for future pandemics and ensure inclusive urban planning practices for healthy and eco-city living. Songdo is a relatively new, well-designed, and rapidly growing city in South Korea. Songdo would be a better case study for a post-pandemic township to analyse urban community problems, specifically the balance between stable and eco-city. This study evaluates Songdo city planning using secondary examples of other new planned eco-cities to determine the gap between being an inclusive city and meeting future challenges induced by the pandemic. The findings of this study were collected, analysed, and represented using desktop research methods. Secondary data sources are used in this method to calculate the existing urban green spaces. The potential sites for redevelopment as urban parks and green spaces for healthy living are then identified using geoinformatics techniques. According to this study, Songdo’s current urban green space is significantly less than the global per-person urban space standard. GIS mapping is being used to identify potential urban spaces to promote urban greenspace for healthy living in Songdo. This study examines inclusive city planning practices in a post-pandemic city to meet future needs. Cities today are more concerned with eco-city concepts as a means of adapting to climate change. COVID-19 provides contemporary thought on eco-city planning, where the environment and climate change should not be the primary focus; public health should be a priority to guide us in a new direction for post-pandemic urban planning.