The City After COVID-19

This book examines urban and regional governance in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic from a comparative-historical perspective. It critically assesses urban pandemic politics in three urban regions across the Global South and Global North. Chapters explain why cities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the ways they did, and how the pandemic changed existing forms of urban governance. Three global cities (Chicago, Toronto, and Johannesburg) are explored in an empirical study with a theoretical focus on urban and regional governance. Commending the critical role of municipal institutions and their civil society partners in mobilizing resources to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and improving health equity, this book shows how the pandemic altered or exacerbated existing patterns of vulnerability, and how community-based interventions assisted. This book is essential for practitioners, activists, students, and policy makers in urban planning and public health.