London Borough of Hounslow: Beyond COVID-19

For the economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis to be durable and resilient, a return to ‘business as usual’ and environmentally destructive investment patterns and activities must be avoided by the Borough of Hounslow.

X-Crop believes that the Borough of Hounslow (due to its varied population and topography, which renders it vulnerable to future pandemics) would benefit greatly from investigating the influence of COVID-19 on children, youth, and the elderly through design. Our aim is to help you identify the visible as well as the invisible urban problems as a result of the pandemic, and co-design immediate and longer-term needs that will have a ‘positive’ impact on the borough, its businesses and people.

Where are we heading with an increasingly diversified urban population? What is the significance of 'airport towns/cities' in emergency situations? How can design help people who are considered high risk to reintegrate with society and the public services after health emergencies? How should we think about the impact of greater international travel and cross-cultural mobility on public health and wellbeing of local people? The outcome of this project will feed into the Borough’s “build back better” strategy by generating insights, ideas and understanding with a focus on well-being and inclusiveness, whilst creating opportunities for investment and triggering behavioural changes that will reduce the likelihood of future shocks and increase society’s resilience when they do occur.