Abstract

EDITORIAL Re-Opening Marci S. Uihlein, Executive Editor News of successful COVID-19 vaccines offer hope of a return to “normal” once manu - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign facturing and distribution plans are put into place. It is exciting to think about seeing our friends, families, and colleagues without fear. But how do we reopen after intense periods of quarantine, separation, and isolation? In addition to the disruption of our daily lives, some have lost loved ones, others their livelihoods, with those most vulner- able losing what was already an uncertain financial support structure. Unemployment numbers continue to rise in what has been dubbed the “She-cession,” where women lost jobs at a far higher rate and more slowly regained them. In addition to height- ened economic and health disparities, long-existing racial inequities can no longer be ignored. The reduction of commuting, travel, and economic production revealed clearer skies and the possibility of addressing rising temperatures. Given these radical shifts, we will be returning to our faculty and office meetings changed. Prior to the pandemic, disruptors were seen positively by Big Tech and others, including the architectural discipline, all building new “disruptive” systems for intel - lectual gains and profit. Yet