Repopulating density: COVID-19 and the politics of urban value

Abstract

How might concepts of ‘value’ and ‘population’ illuminate the present and future of urban density? The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a public debate on density in the city. While some initially blamed density for the spread of the virus, others rightly cautioned against those claims. As the pandemic progressed, an imaginary of density-as-pathology gave way to a more nuanced geographical understanding of the urban dimensions of the crisis, focused on connections, spatial conditions, domestic ‘overcrowding’ and poverty. Throughout, an interrogation and reflection on urban density and its future unfolded, throwing into question the historical relationship between ‘value’ and ‘population’ in understandings of density. I argue for a new politics of value based on shifts in three interconnected domains – governance, form and knowledge – and identify implications for research on density in urban studies.

摘要

“价值”和“人口”的概念对于城市密度的现在和未来而言有何意义呢？新冠肺炎大流行引发了关于城市人口密度的公开辩论。虽然有些人最初将病毒的传播归咎于密度，但也有人正确地对这类说法提出了警告。随着疫情的发展，那种“密度即病理”的想法让位于在城市层面对这次危机的更细致入微的地理认知，这种认知强调联系、空间条件、家庭“过度拥挤”和贫困等因素。贯穿始终的是，本文对城市密度及其未来进行了追问和反思，并对“价值”和“人口”在密度理解方面的历史关系提出了质疑。我主张基于三个相互关联领域（治理、形式和知识）转变的新价值政治，并确定了城市研究中密度研究的意义。