Earlier this year, as our global cities went into lock-down, stark images of deserted streets, plaza, parks, and promenades flooded the internet. The disappearance of the once vibrant public realm in bustling metropolises convinced many people that the great ‘urban exodus’ has finally arrived! But if we’ve learned anything from urban history, it is that public health crises have always paved the way for safer and better cities, with the public realm at its heart. In the 19th century, cholera and