The Impact of the Two Pandemics on Sustainable Urban Housing Development

School of Civil Engineering & Architecture, Xiamen University of technology, Xiamen, China

^* Corresponding author: mpeng@xmut.edu.cn

Abstract

People had to stay in their homes for long time during the pandemic like SARS or COVID-19. Under this experience, people put forward many opinions and suggestions on the current situation of urban residential architecture design and community planning. The existing deficiencies can be learned form people’s perceptions and the findings is helpful to the sustainable development of cities. Based on the literature survey, the main issues of public dissatisfaction after SARS are summarized and analyzed. An online survey-based households was conducted to explore the updated housing, environmental, and psychological focal points caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The main concerns of urban residents on house and community design and planning after the two pandemics are described and reviewed. It is found that there are additional focus on residential buildings and the community environment after the two pandemics. People are still very concerned about elements such as sunlight, natural ventilation, and sewage treatment to prevent the virus transmission. Some deficiency in housing and communities still leave urban residents dissatisfied, and existing urban housing and community designs may still not be ready for the next pandemic. The pandemic has not only renewed awareness of some important basic elements of urban living that cannot be ignored, but has also brought about changes in people’s lives.