00:09 Hi everyone.
00:10 I'm Xinjiang from the World Bank Tokyo Development Learning Center.
00:14 COVID has dramatically changed our lives and our cities.
00:19 But it has also provided the opportunity to rethink how we live.
00:24 As we come out from the pandemic,
00:26 what can we do to build back better?
00:29 Well,
00:30 we asked Joanna Massik,
00:32 the lead urban specialist at the World Bank,
00:34 a couple of big questions on this.
00:37 We hope that you enjoy Joanna's insights
00:40 and if you're interested to learn more,
00:42 please connect with us on TDLC's Facebook and Twitter.
00:46 So without further ado,
00:48 over to you,
00:48 Joanna.
00:57 In many ways,
00:58 cities have had to prioritize because they've been at
01:01 the front line of responding to the COVID pandemic,
01:04 and they've also been hit in terms of municipal
01:07 finances from the economic shock of the pandemic.
01:10 Many city leaders are obviously focusing on creating
01:13 jobs and livelihood opportunities in the recovery period.
01:18 However,
01:19 it's a great opportunity also to invest in things like zero carbon transition,
01:24 resilient infrastructure,
01:26 which will not just create jobs but also provide
01:31 improvements in life,
01:32 livability of cities,
01:34 emissions reduction,
01:35 and also creating more broad resilience in cities.
01:48 For urban practitioners,
01:50 the key issue from my side is that they will have to ensure that
01:54 these investments,
01:55 especially in infrastructure,
01:57 don't lock in carbon intensive urban form and sprawl,
02:02 and that they're used to leverage investments in
02:05 energy efficient buildings.
02:07 Public transport,
02:09 improved waste management,
02:10 but also investments in city livability and productivity.
02:15 These will all be important for cities to manage future shocks such as the pandemic,
02:21 but also increasingly issues around climate change impacts.
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