With Pandemic Push, The Future Is Already Here And Now

COVID-induced digitalisation is accelerating the transformation of urban living, as new technologies merge the physical and virtual worlds

- Alex Moiseev

Many crises cause societies to explore new opportunities, and the pandemic followed by switch to the work-from-home (WFH) model is no exception. It is likely to accelerate underlying trends in urban living and enhance the quality of life for city-dwellers. Even though the pandemic isn’t over and no one really knows for sure what will come next, we have already been observing some emerging trends – how our living environment is set to change following the influence of teleworking; how the physical world will interact with the virtual; what technologies will empower these shifts; and what can be done to make this process safer.

HOMES: FANTASTIC INFO-WORKERS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Never before have so many people found themselves in such similar conditions at the same time, making the pandemic experience truly global. For the second year running, we are witnessing remote working taking place ‘enmasse’, and how different sectors of the economy have actually been boosted by the change. One of them is obviously e-commerce, with the process of visiting bricks-and-mortar stores more complicated. Pandemic measures worldwide have led to higher online parcel volumes, which has also been evidenced in a rise in delivery services. People are getting used to spending more time at home, so dark stores, food deliveries, and overall digitalisation of the commerce experience will continue to grow, making contactless payments the new norm.