Will Brady: Time to combine political will, public support and planning vision for Cork City

Although the Covid crisis won’t bring a revolution in how our cities function, it could be used to expedite an evolution in how we treat our city centres

Princess St, Cork. Parts of the city centre have  been transformed into much more diverse, attractive places with substantial improvements in the quality of the urban environment. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

There has been much speculation about how a post-Covid-19 world will look, as society recalibrates following the gradual relaxation of the public health restrictions. 

We hear for instance about both the threats and potential the supposed 'new normal’ will present to our city and town centres. This is accompanied by suggestions that the planning system needs to react — by reinventing policy and practices to reflect a new set of social and economic realities.