Too many of our governments waited too long to acknowledge the scale and speed of the threat, and muster the resources appropriate to the task.But in several important cases, governments have been fully prepared — with resources, with expertise, and with the personnel and health infrastructure in place to protect the well-being of their citizens, and insulate their economies from the worst-case outcomes.If you were to rely on the hyperbolic headlines claiming that coronavirus portends “the end of cities” — that the global push to denser, more urban lifestyles has been at the cost of human health — you might not know that many cities have, in fact, led the way in managing this catastrophe. New York, like so many cities in America, deserves better leadership.The lesson we should take from all of this is not whether cities are a “bad idea;” but rather, whether it’s been a good idea to spend the last 40 years undermining the very notion of competent governance in the United States. At 25,000 people per square mile, you’d think that the super-dense Taipei would be in far deeper epidemiological trouble than, say, residents of Kirkland, Washington, population density 5,000 per square mile. And none of those cities are in nations that devalue building competent state capacity to meet public needs.In fact, several Asian cities are being held up as models for how to handle a pandemic. The cost of living in Lagos is among the lowest in the world, but the country as a whole has some of the poorest health statistics, including a life expectancy of just over 53 years of age and an infant mortality rate of almost 67 per 1,000 live births.The former capital of Pakistan, Karachi is the most crowded city in the Muslim world. Get the latest finance business, tech and cryptocurrency headlines, news and updates from the Business Telegraph.
The US is not only bad at the act of government but has actively been getting worse.
Population density is determined by the number of residents who live within a given land area — usually a mile or kilometer. have been the beneficiaries of their government’s doggedness in adhering to strict public health protocols, including taking aggressive, early action, broadly sharing accurate health information with the public, and focusing on rapid assessment of new outbreaks. Americans living in big cities like New York or Los Angeles are familiar with the stress of overcrowded streets and sidewalks and the lack of parking. Population density refers to the average number of individuals living per square kilometer or square mile. Besides being known for its sports teams, cultural institutions, history and architecture, the city is among Europe’s biggest financial centers, a hub of international business and commerce, as well as Spain’s main manufacturing center.