The effect of COVID-19 on how we use our cities is set to go under the microscope under a landmark research collaboration in Melbourne which hopes to deliver lessons which can be applied worldwide.

As the COVID-19 crisis has impacted the city, Monash University has announced the Melbourne Experiment which will bring together senior researchers from across the university and examine key activities and elements of the urban environment before, during and after the COVID-19 shutdown.

The project will look at activities such as traffic flow, electricity use, urban and household behaviour, use of parks and public spaces and air quality.

In particular, it will examine:

• Travel and activity patterns during COVID-19 and how this may impact long-term travel behaviour throughout the city.
• Development of a digital model of Melbourne that maps the evolving impacts of COVID-19 on different places and communities of the city.
• How electricity is consumed in Melbourne (including who and where), the impact of COVID-19 on household and business electricity use, and what can be learned from the variation.
• Melburnians’ use of open and green space, and interaction with the natural environment during the shutdown, and whether this has changed because of the closure of pubs, cafes and other entertainment venues.
• The transition to remote online dispute resolution, court proceedings and other justice system innovations, with focus on the public infrastructure invested in the Melbourne CBD legal and judicial precincts during and beyond the pandemic.
• How face recognition technology (FRT) is being used in Melbourne during and beyond COVID-19. The introduction of social distancing, increased wearing of face masks and changing use of city spaces all put a new complexion on this biometric tool.
• The impact of COVID-19 on violence against women in the home and the family, in public spaces (including transport) and on the frontline of healthcare.

Monash University Provost and Senior Vice-President, Professor Marc Parlange, said the experiment would reveal information about the essential functions and challenges of cities.

“The global shutdown to control COVID-19 is an historic disruption to urban life,” Parlange said.

“In these circumstances, we can observe activities that are fundamental to the idea of a city being brought to a stop, the positive and negative impacts on different groups, and then monitor how or whether they return as restrictions are gradually lifted”

“This pandemic will have very significant impacts, both immediate and long-term, on the shape of Australian society. It is essential that government and other decision makers have access to the best information during the recovery.”