My last blog post spoke about re-evaluating setbacks as they relate to social distancing. This article out New York takes it to the next level when thinking about equity. So far, information appears to break the correlation of density and the pandemic, favoring the argument that it's about a jurisdiction's level of response to the pandemic. Those prepared vs. not... You have to wonder though, were we to have more equitable communities, would things like food desserts, lack of social services, lack of quality medical care, better distribution of employment, etc. also be more balanced? I would guess that yes, they would also be improved as part of an equitable system. Something to think on, anyway.
I find myself saying more and more that now is the time to reinvest in your ENTIRE community with an honest focus on what is good for true sustainability beyond construction and landform. We've got to stop catering to fear of development, in favor of better development choices. We have to allow for a mix of densities (where services exist) but step away from the numbers of density (which really don't mean as much as people think). And most importantly, we need to change our culture of development. We are ALL in this together. We are of ONE system. If any part of a relied system goes down, it affects the rest of the system. If we improve part of a system, other parts of the system are approved.
Does your code reflect 2020? This is the question that REALLY
needs to be asked.