Although other nations are experiencing autocratic take-over due to this virus.

I am not sure I see this administration actually using that power to solve this crisis.

While many of the actions needed must be taken at the national level, this administration is bumbling along and playing catch up with the actions taken by mostly "blue" states and cities.

China had this under control with much more decisive actions: such as containment, mandating the wearing of masks,  limiting public access to people who registered no high body temperatures, and testing. Their take-out bags had a form filled out with the body temperature of the preparer, the bagger and the delivery person.

This administration has allowed two months to go by with minimal response. And was only pushed to pass the actions taken so far, including signing the CARES act( actually undertaken  by Congress) because of  the fall in the stock market and the resulting panic about the economy.

Trump's administration is staffed by incompetents who fear any input by previous administrations or the private section "experts".

This doesn't bode well for the country.

Meanwhile, those of you with concerns about the decline of democracy ignore the fact that that boat sailed away increasingly over the past three years. When Congress fails to contain a lawless president, democracy is broken. I do fear for how this country will survive if Trump remains in the Presidency, bolstered by a fawning Senate who has overlooked his corruption at every juncture.

Trump has already indicated that he will not tolerate any oversight. He fired the inspector general who brought to light the Ukrainian incident.

He has already indicated he will not tolerate the oversight put into the CARES act by Congress. He and his family properties will attempt to collect "bigly". Who in the Senate will investigate if there is no inspector general?

In the future we may finally find out how much he has cost this country, how much he has profited and how much he has corruptly gained from the laws he has passed.

But it will take a democratic win to achieve that. And Trump has already primped the pumps of "fake voting and fake elections" to attempt to stay in office.

Even if he does lose, does anyone doubt he will maneuver to "disqualify" the election to remain in power?

Please watch closely over the next few months on rules and regulations put into place to "make our elections safe".

This is the greatest danger.

Betty Trent, AIA  LEED AP

Austin, Texas

I certainly hope that a united effort will get us thru.

I see a lot of hope in the united effort of the people to date.

I find the united effort is mostly "bubble up" and not "trickle down".

Betty Trent, AIA  LEED AP

Austin, Texas

Like previous pandemics or crises, the future will  certainly hold changes we may never see coming.

Among the changes I can see will be due to the extended period at which we will be forced to "socially distance".

We have an  increasing familiarity now with remote working, telecommunication and web-based interaction. This will lead to a re-think about work spaces ( some of which has already started to occur)

Due to the assumed level of bankruptcies in the near future, I can imagine companies saving rent expenses by  providing fewer employees with  cubicles or offices.   Companies are going to see that remote work is possible and work spaces may be reduced to hoteling cubicles where they might be provided. Conference space will be reduced as well.

Zoom and similar web-based communication will substitute for closer communication.

Whether that is just as effective is to be determined.

We did a master plan for a public agency having severe budget issues. As part of our research we interviewed employees who were already concerned about traffic and the toll that time spent in their cars was taking. They actually were open to smaller  remote hotel stations in each corner of town, preferring to begin and end up near their homes each work day ( with less traffic to have going home). We were able to find economies in work space, using underutilized space the agency already had in several areas of town, saving the agency 10-25% in rent.

Did it go anywhere? No. The directors wanted all employees "under their control" . When we toured WeWork with the decision makers, they were appalled. They kept repeating their employees ( whose average age they admitted was 40-45 ) would never want to work in that kind of space. This from a group that also bemoaned that they "could not attract younger employees".

Finally, although our study began under the premise that we should "find efficiencies" due to budget concerns, they were able to find the money to buy a larger building , giving them space to "grow".  The assumption always seems to be  that more employees are needed and that more space is needed.

Maybe this crisis will point out that work can get done without a huge about of  space being provided by the employer and that communication can still be productive.

As to public space, it may be a while before we can accumulate more than 10-50 people at any public event. Who will want to take a chance on the health of  the person seating next to them on a plane, at church, at a student play or a football game?  We may find seating spaced every other seat and every other row becomes a norm for quite a while. Public transit is going to take a big hit due to  health concerns. But traffic may not increase with 25-50% of the population working from home.

Festivals, conventions, over-the top weddings and concerts are going to be really impacted. Venues that were in process of being expanded are going to take a hit. I can see a lot of these projects being cancelled or rethought.

Will we need to include health ( temperature reading ) stations at all entries as we have metal detectors? How will we handle queuing?  It takes a lot of space to stay 6' apart in all directions. Witness your local grocery or Lowe's.  Architects going to be on the front lines of providing safe  social distancing space on their projects.  Will we also be legally liable?

AIA and other groups will have to figure out how to have a convention. Will participates be contained into smaller seminar rooms to limit seating distances?  I have been to large funerals where some of the attendees were off in a separate room, watching remotely on a screen. This may be our new normal for the foreseeable future. Our upcoming work may consist of dividing up public space and providing digital communication to meet this new normal.  Will any of this percolate down into the next code?

Architects love grand open spaces, envisioning them peopled with festivals, protests and social interaction. It will be a year before that happens again.  Meanwhile do we paint boxes on the pavement or grass to outline safe distancing? Will people parade 6' apart?

Klaus has a point about how will we have trials, political meetings or protests? In small groups? Will jurors and witnesses need to self-isolate in order to participate?

I think we will have to rely on the internet  for the foreseeable future. New systems will have to be provided to allow remote voting. Already my non-profit Board of directors is rethinking our monthly meetings. The consensus is that Zoom works pretty well and eliminates an extra hour sitting in a car, driving to  and fro for a meeting.

All of us still practicing will be dealing with these issues for the next year(s). Projects that can't be rethought will be cancelled. New office space development may be cancelled due to excess space availability and I really fear for the hospitality industry. Some restaurants may never recover. Hotels will be going bankrupt. Brew pubs and social spaces will be hard hit.  Despite the best efforts of Congress, there will be a recession and the building industry is going to be hard hit. Hospitals, cities, and other public agencies ( especially mass transit) will be close to bankrupt. They may be on life support for a long time. The energy sector is being hit hard by the drop in crude prices.  I see only a decent market for utility projects, renovations and housing.

I hope I am wrong, I wish everyone well in their endeavors and hope you stay safe and healthy.

Betty Trent, AIA  LEED AP

Austin, Texas

I think mass transit, urban design and public space will be re-thought. This pandemic may be just a harbinger of future pandemics. Health experts have been warning about these for years but we have been lucky so far. As the world gets denser, public hygiene and the rapid spread of germs will become a more pressing issue.

It may take several years before people are comfortable in large crowds.

Architects will probably be looking at designing spaces that can be subdivided into small group gatherings and relying more on accommodating virtual meetings and communications..

Public transit will take a hit. How many will brave a crowded subway, bus  or light rail?

I believe we will start to see proposals for gondola type public transit. There is an interesting company " HillTrac" manufacturing small gondolas used in ski locations. Check this out. I can see these running down our major streets and hi-ways, carrying an individual or families in their own secure spaces.

I can see cities dictating that a max of 25-50% of a space's capacity must remain vacant. That will hit public venues hard. But traffic on the roads could miraculously reduce. Just as London limits cars to certain license numbers on a given day, we may find cities telling us that only certain license plate numbers are allowed on our roads at any time. Other days, we will work from home.

We will be wearing masks for the foreseeable future, therefore how will banks and other companies remain secure? Sally ports? Will we see an increase in requests for vestibules and sally ports at entries?  Camera security will be difficult to rely on if everyone is wearing a mask. Another option we might be asked to incorporate will  be installing temperature scanning or UV disinfectant stations at entries.

Hardware on doors will need to accommodate access without touch. Touchless faucets, toilets, etc will be in greater demand.  Purell dispensers will be everywhere, like they are on cruise ships.

Trash will also become a major issue. We are just now seeing the burden of our throw away culture and designating masks and other gear as " bio-hazardous"  will require us to rethink how much space and access we assign to trash. Will offices provide a sanitation area to contain mail or other items just as many provide bomb detection?

I believe architects will need to consult and coordinate  with the health industry in how to accommodate greater social distancing and hygiene processes. Many architects will start to specialize  in hygiene architecture. Whatever they are doing in China will be on the forefront. Expect topics on this  at the next virtual convention.

Betty Trent, AIA  LEED AP

Austin, Texas