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

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.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a discussion on urban density, with a shift in focus from density as a pathology to a more nuanced understanding of the crisis. This has led to questioning the historical relationship between 'value' and 'population' in understanding density, and has implications for research in urban studies.