Box 1.12: The opportunities of public space for dining, retail and leisure

while following physical distancing guidelines, streets are a fundamental tool in a public health approach focused on risk reduction. Similarly, the extra distance that streets can enable between people means that by expanding certain activities beyond the internal confines of a building, places of worship, cultural institutions, libraries and even schools can more safely resume their critical role in society.84 Beyond extending the classroom to outdoor spaces, in response to the closure of schools, streets can provide WiFi hotspots enabling children remote access to education and adults a means of working from home. By converting indoor into outdoor activities, businesses such as restaurants, cafes, theatres, cinemas and gyms have been able to continue operating, supporting livelihoods and businesses while offering important social and cultural services to the urban community. New concepts, such as Gastro Safe Zones in Europe and Streateries in the US, can allow for the safe return of customers and provide at least some income for restaurants and food vendors. Streets can also provide space for pop-up medical care and testing as well as serve as distribution points for food and potable water.

Box 1.12: The opportunities of public space for dining, retail and leisure

Balancing public health with economic survival has forced many cities to creatively reimagine public spaces to enable some measure of activity to continue despite the pandemic. The requirements of social distancing have meant that previously thriving areas such as markets have had to adapt to ensure their ability to function safely. At the same time, overlooked or inaccessible spaces such as parking lots have also in some cases acquired a new importance once repurposed as areas for dining, recreation or sport.

In Delhi, as the nation-wide lockdown was being gradually lifted, some neighbourhoods began to host pop-up stores of retail shopping brands typically found only in larger markets or malls. These allowed consumers who might be hesitant to resume their visits to central markets to meet their demands within walking distance, while also allowing businesses to generate some revenue.

In Ethiopia, UN-Habitat has been working with support from the government to redesign overcrowded city markets and set up temporary markets to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in four cities. Markets selling food, vegetables and other commodities are still open and very crowded. Planners from UN-Habitat have proposed new designs to incorporate physical distancing, handwashing stations and the introduction of temporary markets in public spaces to accommodate vendors. In Fara Gebaya market in Hawassa city, the site selected is 8,000 square metres and designed to accommodate 280 vendors.85

Melbourne is planning to reconfigure the Central Business District’s ‘Little Streets’ area to create a more lively urban environment for walking, eating and other outdoor activities. This will be achieved by modifying the current design and layout to provide more space for safe and enjoyable use of the area by pedestrians and diners. The city is also exploring ways to support restaurants by opening up parking bays and other spaces for use as dining areas.86

Outdoor summer school activities with social distancing measures. Turin, Italy © Shutterstock