COVID-19 is leaving profound scars in our cities. This talk discusses the urban geography of the pandemic and how it will drive urban change in a post-COVID-19 world. Its consequences will change cities in a potentially durable way. The winner-take-all economic geography of global cities will not be reversed. However, these changes will benefit affluent suburbs and easily accessible towns and may lead to a short-term, temporary decline of inner-city centers as their functions are redesigned.
Andrés Rodríguez-Pose is the Princesa de Asturias Chair and a Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics. He also holds a Professor II position in the field of Innovation at the University of Stavanger. He was awarded the 2018 ERSA Prize in Regional Science.