The effects of the coronavirus are unprecedented, sending shockwaves into the health, economic, education and social sectors. Governments around Australia—and the world—are bracing for the post-COVID recovery phase. Added to the impact from the pandemic, climate change still weighs heavily and finding ways to reinforce public assets and infrastructure is imperative.
This brutal combination of climate change and the pandemic places all levels of government in the unique position of being able to plan new and improve existing infrastructure with resilience at the forefront. Let’s look at some ways that resilience can be brought into our infrastructure:
ü Public transport
Communities aren’t cohesive without a robust public transport system to allow freedom of movement and therefore it remains a critical infrastructure asset. In most cities, public transport is still functioning, albeit with a significantly reduced customer base. It’s clear that many cities around the world are already finding ways to incorporate resilience and public safety into public transport options. Here’s a few examples:
- It is essential that each mode of transport’s capacity for passengers is reduced. This can be achieved by removing seats and prohibiting customers from standing throughout the journey.
- To compensate for the reduced capacity, as outlined above, increase the frequency of services provided, particularly during peak hour. This will lessen the amount of time passengers are required to wait while also ensuring customers arrive at their intended destination safely.
- Place markers at tram and bus stops, and train stations, two metres apart, to ensure customers can keep physical distancing while waiting for the next available service.
- Place plexiglass shields around the driver’s area to limit contact between customers and staff. Put up signs encouraging customers and staff to wear masks at all times during the trip.
- Clean and disinfect all surfaces frequently. This will entail staff being present on journeys, wearing appropriate PPE gear. Include hand sanitiser on board vehicles, stops and stations for customers’ use1
ü Waste and recycling
Waste and recycling stations are traditionally a hub of activity. Throughout the pandemic however, many stations have been operating on a skeleton staff, with access from the public limited or prohibited entirely. As communities emerge from shutdown, governments are looking for ways to increase the safety of collection workers and sorting staff. Similar to the point above, many local councils will have already introduced measures to support safety and minimise risk. Let’s have a closer look at some of these:
- Disruption to recycling comes at a future cost to the environment and economy, therefore the reopening of these sites can and should be achieved. Sorting waste poses little threat to the safety of staff, provided the correct safety standards are in place, and workers are decked out in the appropriate PPE wear.
- Ensure households have new, updated information on separating waste and recycling for disposal. Include material that highlights where double-bagging of infectious waste and recommend that households disinfect bins each week, after collection.
- Ensure staff in recycling centres and waste collection services have easy access to hand sanitiser.
- Offer incentives for households to decrease food waste and educate the community on the ease of home composting.
- Highlight and promote the circular economy. The labour-intensive aspect of the circular economy supports the creation of thousands of local jobs and provides a real alternative to the future safety of our planet and the resilience of infrastructure2
ü Clean energy options
Local governments have a clear opportunity post-pandemic to invest in clean energy options. This gives the dual benefits of lowering energy costs across government departments, but also wide-reaching advantages to the city’s environment. Many local councils around our nation are already working towards introducing renewables and other clean energy options, but below are a few examples.
- Set targets about renewable energy usage. Be ambitious. Making decisions now within local regions means councils are more resilient in the face of a future pandemic or natural disaster.
- Make changes to the energy options on council buildings and other assets. This can include fitting solar panels on schools, government offices, and health and community buildings. The more we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the more resilient our planet will be against cyclones, floods and bushfires.
- Use local businesses where possible to retrofit government-owned properties. This will increase the community’s capacity to recover post-COVID.
- Upgrade public spaces to increase physical distancing measures and reduce climate hazards such as flooding or drought by introducing blue and green infrastructure within these spaces.
- Create policies and programs that support clean energy technologies in businesses within the region. Offer incentives for businesses to participate3
If you’d like to learn more about resilience in infrastructure, make sure you register for the Asset Management Council’s annual Government Symposium, Asset Management for a Resilient Future. The symposium will be held virtually and we know you’ll want to hear from experts within our communities of practice speak on ways to build resilience in the face of the pandemic caused by COVID and the effects of climate change. Register now by clicking here.
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1 Info in this paragraph sourced: https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Public-transport-after-COVID-19-re-building-safe-and-connected-cities?language=en_US
2 Info in this paragraph sourced: https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Reducing-waste-and-protecting-waste-workers-in-the-COVID-19-crisis?language=en_US
3 Info in this paragraph sourced: https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Realising-the-clean-energy-opportunity-through-city-scale-COVID-19-recovery-plans?language=en_US