Cities tend to be densely populated places where people live and work very closely to each other. I am from a much smaller town than London and I have an immune deficiency so, of course, I ended up getting sick within my first two weeks here. This got me thinking about infectious disease in densely populated cities and if there was a way to limit the spread of germs on some of the things we all have to touch or filter the air we breathe in confined spaces.
Until I started reading about it, I hadn’t realized that the flu is actually pretty deadly. This article claims that by February of this year, the 2017-2018 flu had killed at least 254 people in the UK alone.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5368109/Flu-death-toll-hits-254-UK.html
The article goes on to say that the flu season lasts longer in cities than suburbs, but scientists think that individuals living in the city do not have a greater chance of catching the flu which confuses me.
Researchers from London Metropolitan University tested different Underground lines for cleanliness and found them teeming with bacteria including E.Coli and a strain related to Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Bacteria and viruses spread and infect differently, but surely if we are breathing someone else’s air or holding on to the same dirty rails when the tube is packed during rush hour, we are more likely to get sick? Even if this isn’t the case, I thought there might still be some way to decrease the risk.
This Time article from earlier this year describes a UV light developed by scientists that could kill microbes, bacteria, and viruses (including the flu virus) in the air without damaging human eyes or skin. If something like this is truly safe and effective, it could be used to sanitize public places throughout the day. The article mentions doctors’ office waiting rooms. I think it would also be a great tool for underground trains and buses. If once an hour or even once a day, the tube and buses were sanitized, it seems like there could be a huge reduction in the spread of infection.
http://time.com/5142211/uv-light-kills-flu-virus/
Below is my sketch inspired by our sketch session in Creativity in Design. It depicts a skin-safe UV light sanitizing a tube car while passengers are still riding. Realistically, I wouldn’t imagine that it would be this fast. And, perhaps, not even while passengers were aboard.
Smart City Design Workbook 