- Lindsey Galloway
- BBC Travel
In the memory of modern society, nothing can change urban life like the new crown epidemic. From closing offices in urban centers, to wearing masks, to restrictions on the number of people and time at restaurants, the preventive measures of the new crown pandemic have changed the face of cities around the world, and such changes may be long-term. In fact, this “urbanized” species of humans has experienced such a large-scale pandemic for the first time. When the Spanish flu struck in the early 20th century, only 14% of the population lived in cities, but according to United Nations estimates, this number has now risen to 57%.
To better protect citizens, city managers have to become more vigilant in terms of health and overall safety. In order to clarify which changes make cities safer, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently released the “2021 Safe City Index”, which ranks 60 cities based on 76 safety indicators, which involve infrastructure, Digital life, personal safety, environmental factors, and of course health factors, this year also includes the response to the new crown pandemic and the new crown mortality rate.
Those top-ranked cities: Copenhagen, Toronto, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo have some factors that explain the correlation between overall security and strong social cohesion, total population tolerance, and social trust. We talked with residents of these cities to understand how the changes brought about by the new crown pandemic have made their cities safer, more inclusive and resilient; at the same time, we explore the answers for travelers-when they can finally visit these cities, they Need to know which way to ensure safety.
Copenhagen
The Danish capital, Copenhagen, ranks first in the index because the index’s new environmental safety core measures sustainability (including renewable energy incentives), air quality, waste management, and urban forest coverage. The latter will undoubtedly have an impact on the ability of cities and their residents to respond to the various restrictions on the new crown pandemic. The local restrictions have been completely removed from September 2021.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, parks, green spaces, and artificial canals are very popular. Copenhageners walk, buy takeaways, and enjoy the city’s many breathing spaces,” said Ass, chief executive officer and resident of the non-profit organization “Copenhagen Ability”. Bjorn Overgaard (Asbjørn Overgaard) said. The city also continued to provide “new crown guides” to help citizens, and provided a large number of signs and clear signs to help the public keep their distance in outdoor spaces.
The Danish community spirit is best summarized in the Danish word samfundssind (social concern is higher than personal interest), which also enables citizens (including government officials) of the country to work together and trust each other to create a safer living environment. The 2021 Safe City Index found a high correlation between controlling corruption and shaping safer cities. Denmark is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. It is not surprising that its citizens can trust each other with government agencies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Copenhagen has also implemented a large-scale new crown testing program, which is free for everyone, including tourists. The collected data can be used for detailed monitoring of the epidemic; in addition, the city will also implement wastewater testing to detect the epidemic as soon as possible.
Toronto
The largest city in Canada follows Copenhagen in the overall safety index rankings. Toronto scores high in infrastructure and environmental safety. Residents attribute this to an inclusive culture that values targeted communication across communities, especially in terms of vaccine awareness and acceptance.
Toronto resident Farida Talaat (Farida Talaat) pointed out that the city has launched a number of community-specific vaccination programs to make the city safer. For example, the “The Homebound Sprint Vaccination” program is dedicated to completing the first dose of vaccination for residents who cannot go out; in the early days of vaccination work, Toronto also established a vaccine fairness task force for black scientists to ensure a more equitable vaccination method.
The city has a long history of multiculturalism, and the locals feel safe. “It’s normal for people who live in Toronto to be born outside of Canada. I find that different ethnic and cultural groups communicate with each other rather than live in isolated islands.” Filipe Vernazza, who has lived in the city since 1998 Vernaza) said. “(Toronto) A typical group might include people from different races, sexual orientations, and religions. Toronto is an extremely open-minded city, where you can be yourself with confidence.”
Singapore
Singapore ranks second in terms of digital security, health security, and infrastructure security. It uses these advantages to act quickly in the early stages of the new crown pandemic, quickly launching digital monitoring and tracing close contacts. The country is also one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in the world (currently 80%), but it still needs to strictly monitor and trace close contacts in the face of new virus variants.
“Before entering a building or premises, all residents need to scan their TraceTogether app for security checks,” said Singapore resident Sam Lee, who runs a travel blog of the same name. “This allows (authorities) to quickly trace people who may have interacted with an infected person in order to enforce a quarantine order to contain or cut off the spread of the virus.”
Travelers also need to install the TraceTogether app, or rent a mobile phone with the app installed before entering the country.
In order to reduce interaction, working from home has become the norm for most companies and institutions, Li Chen pointed out, this has reduced the congestion of public transportation. Tourist attractions and shopping centers have limited entrances, and “safe distance ambassadors” monitor the crowd to ensure that the public abides by the sanitation ban; those who violate the ban will face high fines. The public can also use the newly launched “Space Out” tool to track people in shopping malls, post offices and grocery stores.
Sydney
Australia’s largest city scored fifth overall in the index and ranked in the top ten in terms of health and safety. Australia was one of the first countries to completely close its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing the rising number of cases, Australia has maintained strict lockdown measures and achieved positive results. Australia’s new crown mortality rate is still the lowest in the world. As the vaccination rate in New South Wales reaches 70%, many restrictions are expected to be lifted and the international border will be opened in November.
Residents believe that they have been protected during the pandemic and have already felt a strong sense of personal security on the streets of Sydney. “I have never really felt as safe in a country as living in Sydney.” said Chloe Scorgie, founder of the Australian travel website Passport Down Under, who moved to Sydney for the first time in 2018. “As a single woman traveling in Sydney, I never felt any danger to myself.”
The city also ranks first in terms of digital security, which includes the city’s privacy policy, network security protection, ability to respond to threats, and overall smart city level. To a certain extent, Sydney leads this effort through its smart city strategic framework, which covers some innovations in building closer connections and safe cities. For example, it includes placing smart sensors on trash bins, street lights, and benches to collect information about the overall usage of these facilities, traffic flow, and pedestrian activity. Similarly, smart lighting and CCTV networks can improve night safety and night economy.
Some of these ideas have been put into use in the form of a ChillOUT center in southern Sydney: residents can gather in the open air, under smart lighting, connect to wireless networks and plug in electronic products. These usage data will be fed back to city leaders so that they can better understand and adapt to the interaction between citizens and urban infrastructure.
Tokyo
The Japanese capital ranks fifth in the overall index and first in the health and safety index. The index measures factors such as the universal healthcare system, response to the new crown pandemic, life expectancy, mental health and mortality from the new crown. Although the number of cases surged during the Tokyo Olympics, the mortality rate has dropped sharply because the vaccination rate has reached nearly 60%. In view of these positive news, Japan announced that it will gradually lift the state of emergency and lift restrictions from the end of September 2021. Instead, the country plans to encourage the use of its vaccine passport to enter medical facilities and participate in large-scale events, and even encourage companies to provide discounts or coupons to vaccine passport holders.
Tokyo ranks in the top five in terms of infrastructure safety, including traffic safety, pedestrian friendliness, and transportation networks. As a city connected by railways, Tokyo’s infrastructure construction aims to encourage walking and community participation, which in turn leads citizens to participate more effectively in safe city construction in the form of neighborhood crime and guarding, as well as joint crime prevention.
“From various lost and found centers in train stations to almost unnecessary bicycle locks, people have given great respect to the well-being of others.” Tokyo resident and founder of “Global Youth Review” magazine Sena Chang (transliteration) )Say.
She recalled that once she lost a shopping bag in the city center and found it where she left, along with a note of kindness. She said: “Cenure-long collectivist culture and great respect for each other make Tokyo the safest city in which I live.”