City Leadership in a Pandemic
Source: NACTO
In early 2020, it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would have extreme impacts on all of our lives, and that cities and transportation agencies around the world would be hard-hit and on the frontlines of the response.
Despite limited resources, uncertainty surrounding the virus, guidances that emerged and changed daily and the challenge of protecting both staff and essential workers, cities and transportation agencies responded fast. Their most valuable source of guidance became each other: cities quickly replicated interventions from other cities that appeared promising.
This report focuses on learnings and stories from the first six months of pandemic response, including challenges that emerged and key interventions undertaken to address them. Each city’s challenges are shaped by its unique history and circumstances, but they share the universal experience of assuming new kinds of leadership during a pandemic that affected every country worldwide.
At the time of this report’s publication in March 2021, communities are still severely impacted by the pandemic that has infected over 100 million people and claimed over 2 million lives. As communities emerge from this crisis, NACTO aims to help forge a long-term recovery with equity and sustainability at the forefront.
