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Forgotten Densities: While countless urbanists have flocked to the defense of density in the face of critical headlines from journalists, the pictures most of them paint look more like the safe, exciting streets of Manhattan than the crowding and poor public infrastructure of the Bronx, where the virus runs rampant. Instead of falling for this straw man argument, urbanists must grapple with the fact that the deciding factor in infection rates in North American cities is not density but the geography of inequality (Azure).
Take Toronto's St. James Town, for example, perhaps the densest neighborhood in Canada. Here, families are doubled and tripled up in small high-rise apartments, and the poorly maintained public realm is dominated by car infrastructure (The Globe and Mail). For dense edge neighborhoods, like St. James Town or the Bronx, the fight for green space and for clean air and water can be "a matter of life and death" (Vice).
Observations of Pandemic Public Life: Staff from Gehl's New York office conducted mini observations of public spaces around their homes in five neighborhoods around the city. One of their findings was encouraging: People are mostly restricting their use of public space to the bare necessities. However, they also found that physical distancing proves more difficult when moving, and this is particularly true in communities of color that tend to have less open space and poor pedestrian infrastructure (Gehl).
Will Open Streets Last? Tactical urbanism expert Mike Lydon argues that cities don't need to overthink opening up more space for pedestrians on our streets right now (StreetsBlog). But will these lighter, quicker, cheaper transformations stick around after the pandemic?
In Europe, Milan and other cities are taking this opportunity to reevaluate their relationship with the car (CityLab). Meanwhile, in America, as cars empty off of our streets, some may be realizing how much we have given up to cars, but whether this will prompt long-term action is yet to be seen (The Atlantic).
Placemaking in a Recession: In the face of a shrinking municipal budget, New York City has already announced that it would be rolling back funding for livable streets projects in the city (StreetsBlog NYC). This may be just the tip of the iceberg for cities around the country, and placemakers should start sharpening up their arguments for why lively, inclusive public spaces are a must-have, and not just a nice-to-have.
However, we should also remember that the Great Recession also brought us innovations like tactical urbanism and Strong Towns, which taught us how to accomplish things on a tighter budget and pay closer attention to the boondoggles in our municipal budgets. Along with pain, this recession is sure to bring many unforeseen inventions, too (Public Square).
The Architecture of Recovery: Many authors have pointed out how cholera, tuberculosis, and the flu influenced modernism’s focus on light and air and hygienic surfaces. What might our new pandemic inspire?
Designers may adopt new innovations, like touchless systems, improved ventilation, antibacterial surfaces, more isolated work environments, smaller indoor gathering spaces, and more outdoor spaces (Slate). Our public realm may have to evolve, with physical distancing setting the scale of design, more public bathrooms and handwashing stations, usage spread throughout the day, and better coexistence with nature (Canadian Architect). And just like in the 2008 recession, the next generation may be internalizing lasting lessons about affordability, resilience, work, and wellness that will inform the way they think about the design of our public realm (Public Square).
Placemaking Playbook: Finally, here's a roundup of 12 recent innovative placemaking projects making headlines:
- A guerrilla plaque honoring frontline workers (Untapped Cities)
- Jane’s Walk festivals this May are going virtual in Toronto and New York City
- A solution for socially distancing street vendors in Nairobi (Placemaking Network Nairobi, Instagram)
- Tips on how to achieve "the Power of 10" in your public space (Spaces to Places)
- A library's COVID-19 hotline (Next City)
- A montage of rooftop culture in New York City (Jeremy Cohen, Twitter)
- Would You Rather: A playable parklet in Toronto (Urban Minds)
- A plea for better balconies (CityLab)
- Boston's place management organizations pivot in response to xenophobia, food access and making rent (Boston Foundation)
- A Kiwi lockdown scavenger hunt for kids (Auckland for Kids)
- COVID-19 street art from around the world (The Guardian)
- Breaking Christopher Alexander's pattern language out of its theoretical prison (Planetizen)
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