The distribution of the vaccine has started, but we will have to live with this pandemic also for 2021. And even when we have emerged from the emergency, some practices, such as smart working, will remain with us.
To evaluate the effect of this transformation we chose Milan, which exemplifies the metropolis with a frenetic and social soul. September, the main reference period, when the epidemic curve was still under control, and the city offices were starting to welcome workers returning from summer holidays and the restaurants were open.
It is interesting to observe that moment because it was the one with the greatest presence in the offices, despite the pandemic, and therefore it could be the one closest to a new normal scenario.
From the Porta Nuova skyscrapers to the City Life skyscrapers, the percentage of employees who work in presence varies between 5 and 60%. For an overall average of over 50%, which is also confirmed when looking at the public sector, which stands out in the Milanese skyline with Palazzo Lombardia and the Pirellone.
Even looking down at the Milan of Art Nouveau buildings and internal courtyards, the average weekly influx of workers to city offices has always been at least 30% lower than in the pre-pandemic period, as shown by data from Google’s Community Mobility Reports. , reported here.
The ecosystem of activities, which gravitate around this billing Milan, could only suffer from this chronic absence of customers. Deprived of business meetings and quick lunch breaks, the Milanese restaurants counted, throughout September, 25% fewer bookings than the previous year (TheFork data).
Without the queues at 8 on the west ring road and the double-row parking spaces to take morning coffee, the city has also experienced a new, more placid dimension. In fact, TomTom data tells us that September and October recorded average traffic flows about 15% lower than the corresponding period of 2019.
While always in September, thanks to the data provided by Free Now, it is possible to calculate an average reduction of 30% for Milanese taxi drivers, in the number of trips made compared to the median number of how many they managed to accumulate in the weeks of January.
In the same way, the absence of many commuters has changed the appearance of ATM public transport, characterized during the autumn, according to the data provided by the Milanese transport agency, by an annual variation of passengers transported equal to -50%.
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