Cities, Pandemics, and Public Health Lessons from History for Urban
Policy in Developing Countries
Abstract
Covid-19 had a devastating impact on every part of the world. Cities
were the epi-centers of coronavirus transmission and fatality. This has
raised questions on the ‘survival of the city’ and the role of ‘density’
in catalyzing economic growth, social capital formation, and human
development. The questions are misleading for developing countries that
are destined to go a long way to complete the development transition
with rural-urban transformation. They conceal the failure of urban
policymakers and administrators to prepare for and effectively manage
pandemics. In fact, cities in the past have tackled pandemics far worse
than Covid-19 and bounced back. This paper delves into the history of
pandemics and how disease-ravaged cities shaped urban morphology,
developing a strong public health foundation, undertaking spatial
planning innovation, facilitating housing for the poor, building
institutions, and investing in science, including epidemiology, disease
control, and management methods. The objective of the paper is to learn
lessons for cities in the developing world to become pandemic-resilient
and sustainable so that they act as engines of growth as did cities in
developed countries. We suggest broad directions for urban policy
reforms, covering public health, spatial planning, infrastructure
development, governance, and disaster management.