Recently, my company opened a new, larger HQ building, and for me, it was the first time in the office in over 12 months. For some of our newer recruits, even those who’ve been with us for over a year, this was the first time they had met the whole team. This strange new scenario prompted me to contemplate Covid-19’s long-term effects on the world of work.
The pandemic has dealt a devastating blow, taking the lives, health, and wellbeing of far too many people, and the prospect of living with it or its successors has made us all reassess the way we interact with each other at home, at leisure, and in the workplace.
Many more of us than ever before are working from home for the first time, or more often than usual. To the surprise of the more traditionally minded companies, this has not destroyed productivity; in fact, far from it.
The revelation is that when you get out everything from ‘Zoom fatigue’ to time spent on procrastination-driven household chores, the reduced commuting time and the increased flexibility around home and family commitments has led (albeit not universally) to many happier, more focused workers and lower pressure on expensive city-center real estate for desk space and meeting rooms.
Sarah Willett, Chief People Officer at the Liverpool UK-based The Very Group, is quoted in the FT as saying: “We want our colleagues to be hyper-productive at home and hyper collaborative in the office..”
Clearly, some people and businesses will be desperate for a full return to 5-day office working. However, it is generally accepted that a significant proportion of people and companies will opt for some degree of flexible working. Quite apart from the environmental benefits of less travel, this means that many larger businesses, in particular, are reconsidering their accommodation requirements in many major commercial centers.
Are These Changes Permanent?
The Centre for Cities think-tank estimates that only one-fifth of footfall has yet returned to UK city-center streets, and they do not see this suddenly changing as lockdowns end. All major economies worldwide have seen similar effects and face the same challenges.
Several major players seemed to confirm this in a recent comment in the FT, announcing plans to reduce office space post-pandemic. These global titans include HSBC who employs over 220,000 staff and are expecting to cut office space by 40%, Lloyds with 60,000 staff are looking to reduce space by 20%, and BT will be aiming to squeeze their 100,000+ staff into just 30 office buildings, versus the 300+ they currently occupy.
This change will potentially have a profound effect on the city environment and likely to last into the next decades. In fact, McKinsey recently found that around four to five times as many people can now work from home than before the pandemic, which is up to 25% of the workforce in more developed economies.
According to McKinsey, commuter transportation systems are quieter – with traffic permanently down by 20% vs. pre-Covid-19 levels. And even as people return to offices, many are shunning public transport favoring bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters since in more cities than ever; private cars are being discouraged by low-emission-zone charges and targeted parking restrictions, etc. Even when driving, consumers are increasingly using car clubs and ride-share apps rather than private cars.
The question is how will cities adapt, and what role does IoT play in this transformation?
Twin Challenges Facing Cities
The knock-on effects of lower city-center footfall have hit hospitality and retail very hard, leading to business failures, closures, and increased unsightly voids even on the most prestigious shopping streets. Revitalizing these city centers is a priority like never before, and city authorities are deeply engaged in planning their way out of this crisis.
Some of the more enlightened have recognized a potential synergy between the twin imperatives to:
1. bring back foot traffic to retail and hospitality businesses in urban centers, and
2. address the shortfall in affordable housing, especially for younger people, key workers, and those on lower incomes, often employed in retail and hospitality.
By easing planning regulations and allowing real estate change of use from solely retail and business to mixed residential, cities can kill these two birds with one stone; creating lower-cost accommodation for rental or purchase, thus encouraging the younger working population to revitalize city centers by providing their footfall and spending power for the retail and hospitality sectors.
It has to be recognized that city centers, dominated by office blocks, are not the ideal living environment and will not be too attractive for many people. Part of the solution to this has been pioneered in response to the prohibition of gathering indoors, with an increase in pedestrianization of once busy streets and the creation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods “LTN”s. In these, private car access is restricted in favor of pedestrians, personal and public transportation, and road space given over to outdoor seating. This has proven popular with consumers, provided a lifeline for hospitality and retail, and will likely persist as part of the blueprint for the new city model.
Such a transformation is a critical enabler of fully integrated, non-polluting transport of people, goods, and waste into, out of, and around the city centers. It’s here that the true value of connecting everything comes to the fore, and where IoT moves directly from theoretical concepts to practical solutions.
IoT Enabled Smart Urban Renewal
People will only be confident to do without cars when doing so is at least as easy as jumping in the car, which needs a combined approach, both to discourage unnecessary car use and provide viable, cost-effective alternatives.
Those living in city-center apartments are increasingly comfortable with (or perhaps resigned to) developments offering little or no parking provision. The onus is increasingly on the urban planners to ensure that such neighborhoods are properly connected by public transport.
Commuters shoppers, bar and restaurant-goers will use busses and trams only if reliable, up-to-date information on arrivals and departures and simple route-planning tools are easily available on smartphone apps, websites, and message boards. Outside the major conurbations, there is arguably some way to go yet before all data from multiple sources can be seen in real-time in one app.
Equally, bike and scooter share schemes can only be planned into a one-off trip or daily commute if they can be relied upon to be charged ready and available at the location and time people need them, and that their status is available to view on the users’ apps.
Along with ride-hailing apps, or even parking information for low-emission vehicles, all of this new wave of urban mobility is totally reliant on the ‘things’ being connected. Still, assuming this happens, IoT will undoubtedly become a major ally for city authorities taking on the challenge of urban regeneration.
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Source: https://www.iotforall.com/has-covid-19-accelerated-the-move-to-smarter-cities
