/Covid means the sustainability and infrastructure question has changed The issue with this model is that Covid has shown that with the advent of remote working and with a shift in individuals’ opinions and perceptions towards their work-life balance, commuting, open space and the environment, this model may not be possible going forward. Are we therefore moving beyond the hub and spoke model to multicommunal spokes where, whilst the urban hub remains important, there is improved and greater links between the spokes? This would mean that: • Whilst the hub remains important, activity can occur without interaction with it. • The spokes talk to each other with greater transport links and connectivity, including broadband, to allow them to operate with each other. • The hub would inevitably have a smaller sphere of influence, possibly resulting in the rise of a greater number of spokes. • Remote working or working within the sphere of influence of a spoke is more likely. This kind of model, whilst being more complex, potentially allows for a greater degree of sustainability with resources sourced closer to spokes, interactions occurring between the shortest routes for efficiency but also allowing for specialisation where resources, capital and labour allow.
Multicommunal spokes
The above, however, would mean that sustainable communities are considered to a far greater extent than the previous urbanisation model. The focus is not only on the centre but the spokes and the connections between them. To build a truly sustainable society it is important to consider what happens when items fail as well as succeed. If Covid has taught the world anything, it is that the systems and processes we had in place and believed were resilient were proven not to be. At the same time, it also demonstrated the potential for quality of living to improve, pollution to be reduced and the environment to improve as a result of changing the way we live, work and operate. So, let’s take the two models above and look at what happens if a connection is broken. As can be seen below in the hub and spoke model, the importance of the hub is the connection. As such, when issues occur with the transport link or the internet connection etc the spoke fails. It was reliant on the hub.
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