Our Social Nature and The Triumph of the City in the Time of Coronavirus
Edward Glaeser's book, Triumph of the City, illuminates how cities are humanity's greatest invention. Glaeser, a professor of economics at Harvard University, observes that "The enduring strength of cities reflects the profound social nature of humanity." COVID-19, the worse public health crisis in generations, is also resulting in some moving expressions of the social nature of humanity in our cities.
It has been heartening to see how people around the world are showing solidarity in these distressing times. Diverse examples from around the globe, from cities with a great many differences, are united in exhibiting the better nature of community member’s values. In Rome, Italy, for example, people have made essential food items available in public places, providing for those in need. La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, published an image from Naples with wicker baskets hung from a balcony down to street level full of produce and dried pasta. A handwritten note is tied to each basket: "Chi puo metta, chi non puo prenda" -‘Those who can, leave something; those who cannot, take something.' This act of communal support is also exhibited throughout the United States, where free book-sharing libraries have been converted into curb-side food banks. In Chicago, Illinois, and Roanoke, Virginia, among other cities, brightly painted cabinets in residential areas, previously promoting neighborhood-level book exchange, are now filled with bottled water, dried goods, and medical supplies.
If you search for “clap for carers,” you find stories from across the world about people paying tribute to the doctors, healthcare workers, and others who are on the front lines fighting the outbreak of COVID-19 and caring for community members. Videos from Belfast, Ireland show people coming out of their homes to applaud in unison. Similarly, a moving compilation of individual videos from street level, balconies and atop skyscrapers, show New Yorkers paying tribute to other fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Even from great heights, looking out of a high-rise window, where the details of other buildings are nearly imperceptible, the sound of applause can be heard rising from the streets.
These are small and beautiful gestures, and they signal to cultures of behavior that will also determine how well cities will confront the long-term challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak. What will be the overall supports for the wellbeing of others in the months ahead? The durability of our cities will not depend on the stone, steel, and glass of which they are constructed, but the habits and customs of the people who inhabit them.
In Oslo, like other cities practicing social distancing, the community is finding ways to come together, while staying apart. The city itself is full of artifacts of a united community, even when the citizens are absent. The empty streets are a monumental testament to the social contract we are abiding by, to take care of each other. Additionally, as I walk my neighborhood in the early morning, signs posted on businesses and apartment buildings call attention to our shared priority to take care of one another. On one somewhat nondescript building, a resident has made a hand-painted sign on a sheet draped between two windows; it reads: “Stå sammen – på avstand” – Stand together – at a distance. Near Frogner Park, the historic movie cinema’s marquee is illuminated with the message, “Til vi sees igjen – ta vare på hverandre” - until we see you again – take care of each other. Adjacent to the grounds of the Royal Palace, a placard outside the Literature House, announces “Vi håper denne dugnaden gir raske resultater” - ‘we hope the community effort provides quick results’. The word dugnad, is a term with a distinct cultural meaning, evoking the spirit to working together for a better community.
Stå sammen – på avstand
In essence, we have shuttered the daily life of the city, to preserve life in the city. Olav Olsen, a photographer for the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, captured a beautiful portrait of the city in the time of the coronavirus. It is an image of Oslo’s city center at night, disturbingly absent of its regular activity. Two solitary figures are seen, walking under the streetlights and only a single set of car headlights is seen in the distance. Buildings on both sides of the street frame the Radisson Blue Plaza Hotel, Norway’s second-tallest building. The line of sight is down the empty rails of the city’s public tramway. The building appears empty, with nearly every window blacked out. However, select room lights are on, creating the shape of a giant heart illuminated over the city. The CEO of the Plaza Hotel texted the message: “Det er et budskap om kjærlighet og at vi alle må ta vare på hverandre i disse vanskelige tidene” – ‘It is a message of love and that we must all take care of each other during these difficult times.’ It is striking to see the city, emptied of all the citizens, expressing a compassionate human message.
Returning to Glaeser’s observations that the enduring strength of cities can reflect the profound social nature of humanity; our cities themselves are expressing this, too. Paradoxically, it is the empty streets and closed buildings that may be the largest monument to the plight of our shared humanity.
Sources:
Edward Glaeser, Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, New York, Penguin Press, 2011.
