ABSTRACT
The actuality of last year and this year (2020-2021) related to the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, makes us reflect on the problem of the spread and management of pandemics and similar epidemiological situations in general. Where are we today globally towards this issue? Aside from being a health problem, is the pandemic actually a problem of architecture and living space? Should this critical moment be considered as a call to reflect on the architectural design and city planning? It is the duty of architects and urban planners to think and act more on the connection between health, people and buildings. Based on this idea, this paper creates a reactive protocol for the city, from an architect's point of view, that will answer questions about how architecture develops in epidemic/pandemic conditions, how architects should act and design, and how can they help the healthcare system in cases of epidemics/pandemics. The research methodology involves the combination of qualitative research, respectively, theoretical review and phenomenology, and quantitative methods (diagrams, interviews and thematic maps). The paper finds that the measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coincide with the ones taken during many other known epidemics/pandemics in history, and that the spatial/functional organization of housing, workspaces and the city in general does not meet the needs of a healthy environment. Based on the findings, the paper concludes with the creation of a protocol for the resilient city, which will contribute or complement public health protocols focusing on epidemics/pandemics by the WHO. This protocol anticipates the response and interaction between health and architecture, in order to create a preventive and reactive platform for cities in the framework of contemporary commitment to a healthy and sustainable city.