Abstract
This concluding chapter presents a summary of the research findings in the previous chapters, along with some reflections for each of the five themes of the book and a discussion of necessary future responses (post-pandemic or in the event of a new pandemic) and topics that require further exploration. The pandemic brought into sharp relief pre-existing social disparities and affected vulnerable populations the most. The economic impacts of the pandemic were diverse and varied by geography, but again certain geographies and economic sectors were more buffered from negative outcomes than others. A lesson and a challenge for policymakers is to find ways to understand and reduce these disparities, instead of pushing them under the rug. The impacts on mobility and travel were dramatic as total trips decreased, transit usage fell dramatically, and telecommuting and active modes of transportation increased. Some positive impacts included an improved air quality, a reduced number of traffic crashes, and a proliferation of walking and biking in some neighbourhoods. As cities are slowly recovering from the pandemic, the challenge is to keep the positive impacts but also find ways to help the transit industry rebound from its plunge. Long-term impacts of the pandemic in terms of changing patterns of work and work arrangements, shopping, recreation, and other human activities that will affect travel need additional time and more research to discern.
