While the premise might seem like a gimmick, canned air sales are on the rise. Australian entrepreneurs are bottling and selling local air to the Chinese market as an antidote to smog. But is Australia’s reputation as an unpolluted utopia enough to sell products based on pseudo-science?

Air quality is becoming a hot-button issue thanks to concerns intensifying around viral transmissions as well as ongoing wildfires. For luxury home-buyers, in particular, air-purification technology is a must-have, tapping into evolving needs to make homes clean, safe spaces.

With the fear of future pandemics playing heavy on people’s minds, city layouts are getting a re-think. Guallart’s ‘COVID-19-proof’ smart city in China is designed to ease the strain of living in lockdown, pointing to a future where preparedness is a key component of urban design.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upheaved societies around the world – perhaps permanently. There’s an acknowledgement that everyday life will have to change post-lockdown to avoid further outbreaks, but could this transition also present a chance to usher in a fairer, greener, and less lonely future?