Safe-Spacing in the Public Realm

Public spaces have long been ingrained in the minds of planners. To this point, I will even be so candid as to admit that I once tried to start a webpage called PlannerSquare where planners could discuss notable public spaces online. That said, in my heart of hearts, I don’t think public spaces will go away post-pandemic, in all honesty, I hope they don’t. They are a necessary part of communities for people to get out and be a part of the human fabric of life.

Public spaces are an integral part of civilization, from the Agoras of ancient Greece and the Forums of ancient Rome to Bryant Park in New York and Millennium Park in Chicago. These spaces are the cultural and activity hubs of our cities. They host music, art, history, recreation and sometimes, like in today’s recent events, demonstrations. Some days, public spaces are just places to lounge on a picnic blanket and people watch. 

So here we are. COVID-19 has not disappeared, some places have rising numbers, but spaces and places are starting to re-open and people are beginning to venture out. We have all seen pictures of the personal space bubbles, whether it’s tables with a six-foot diameter tape around them, or parks with six-foot diameter circles marked into the grass. I have even seen imagery of restaurants with outdoor dining in little glass pods. Is this the way of the future or will more subtle design features with the same intent emerge from our industry’s talent?

At this moment, people may need blatant markings to be trained on social distancing protocols. However, what can we as designers do to create spaces that make social distancing more intuitive, without these constant reminders evoking clouds of fear? Considering our current process forward is coined “the new normal,” it seems to me that we still crave the good old days. The new normal appears to be trying to make things better while bringing back some familiarity and comfort in today’s uncertainty. Whether it’s landscape features that naturally create six-foot personal space bubbles or scored concrete paving that occurs every six feet, creative design can assist in making safe-spacing instinctive.

Recently, I was in a city hall council chambers for a hearing – probably the epitome of a public gathering space. Staff had taped off every four to five seats so that people would be six feet apart. Although it was necessary and an effective temporary solution, it was awkward, which definitely inspires me to develop new strategies that will accomplish intuitive safe-spacing allowing people to feel comfortable living in “the new normal.”