The recent epidemic of COVID-19 has forever changed the way millions of people see the world, it is a crisis that marks the end of an era. The need to isolate oneself to contain the epidemic has accelerated the expansion of the digital job offer. The demoralization of the labor supply towards teleworking will have a direct consequence on the choice of residence. Urban planning after the Coronavirus is a reflection on how the current way of life can evolve after the epidemic. And since the Architecture is a physical expression of our society, will change with this one.

Today's society tends to concentrate in overpopulated areas. Which monopolize the labor supply and resources, while rural areas can barely provide employment. Large cities offer greater job prospects and opportunities, with the scarcity of jobs in rural areas being the main reason for their depopulation.

The vulnerability of overcrowded areas.

The big problem is that the way of life in large cities like Madrid, Barcelona or London is oriented towards living away from home. Most of the population resides in homes with a minimum size due to the high land value in these cities. In fact, in the case of Spain, the supply of housing is so scarce that it is common for a rental of a home with two bedrooms to consume the average salary of a worker. Precisely in these large cities is where the epidemic is taking hold, creating a distressing situation for people who must endure isolation in their homes.

According the Basic study of the housing situation and residential demand in the Municipality of Madrid, carried out by the sociologist Jose Luis Zarraga, the useful surface of the majority of the houses studied corresponds to the 60-79 m² fork. (Page 35, volume IV)

The report, which includes the conclusions of more than 6,300 household surveys, about 300 per district. The state of housing influences how the Coronavirus crisis is faced, being another factor of inequality. The most humble sectors of society are those that have smaller homes and worse conditions to spend long periods of time without going out. While the sectors with more means have homes with more space and more resources to overcome the crisis.

In short, overcrowded conditions are one of the main causes of the rapid expansion of the epidemic in large cities.

Telecommuting

On the other hand, the need to avoid social contact to control the epidemic has accelerated the implementation of teleworking and distance training. The definitive implementation of the digitalization of office work opens up a future in which job opportunities that were previously only found in large cities open up. Likewise, the new telecommunications network 5g, which will expand the current bandwidth ten times, the internet of things will be implemented. Allowing new interconnection functionalities such as monitoring and controlling factory machinery remotely and without latency. This situation will multiply virtual jobs exponentially.

The repopulation of rural areas

This combination of circumstances can help revitalize rural population centers that are currently in decline. The expansion of a fully digital job offer will make it possible to live far from big cities. Providing the economies of rural areas with more diversity, currently being anchored to the primary sector and seasonal tourism in some cases. On the other hand, the reduced price of land allows for larger and more comfortable homes with fewer financial resources.

In short, the demographic recovery of the depopulated Spain It opens up as an opportunity with the generalization of digital work. Being also an opportunity for the recovery of architectural heritage abandoned by depopulation.

Population density in Spain by municipalities.