F E AT U R E By Marie Burns
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New life in public squares in the age of COVID-19 New Life in Public Squares was published early this year. The author, Marie Burns, considers the impact of COVID-19 on the design and management of these essential spaces.
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ew Life in Public Squares was written during a time when cities were viewed through a very different prism. They were crowded and busy, with commuters and tourists struggling to safely occupy footways and cyclists trying to navigate road space without accident. Cities were
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experiencing what seemed to be a never-ending period of growth, driven by their significance as centres for investment, commerce, employment, and tourism. As the economic influence of the city has expanded, the demand for housing has increased, driving up prices and rents, and resulting in the
densification of new residential developments and increasing commuter distances. During this same period, concerns about and demands to address climate change were growing. In urban areas, the effect of climate change focused on the detrimental impact of traffic causing air and noise pollution
1. The contrasting colour of the paving defines the gardens within the terraces while the wide entrances allows an ease of movement between the spaces. All images Š Marie Burns
