In these unprecedented times, cities worldwide face the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges it brings, standing still during lockdown, but also planning the steps to restore balance in the future. The city of Rotterdam is no stranger when it comes to resilience and reinventing itself. This time, the challenge is different and the main question is what is the impact of the pandemic on Rotterdam and how can it not only recover from a socio-economic standpoint, but also build resilience in front of future crises?
This key question led to The Rotterdam COVID-19 impact study, which started in mid-April and focuses on bringing much needed knowledge and clarity to overcome this crisis stronger. This project is a cooperation between the City of Rotterdam and Vital Cities and Citizens, one of the main three Erasmus Initiatives.
IHS colleagues Dr. Jan Fransen (Theme leader within VCC and Head of Education and Training at IHS) and prof.dr. Jurian Edelenbos (Academic Director VCC and Academic Director at IHS) are the leaders of this project. Several other researchers cooperate on this project, such as Dr. Naomi van Stapele, Dr. Brian Godor, Dr. Mike Duijn, as well as Daniela Ochoa Peralta and Audrey Esteban.
Four policy briefs have been published during this study:
- Policy letter #1 - Conditions for urban resilience to COVID-19
- Policy letter #2 - Research design for case studies
- Policy letter #3 - Conditions for community resilience
- Policy letter #4 - Resilient communities: the role of local government