Amid the health and socioeconomic crisis caused by the coronavirus, we have seen how prolonged physical isolation can affect citizen behavior and generate uncertainty about returning to the streets—that is, to the city itself. The emergence of this pandemic has cast public space as the antagonist in a real-life drama, exposing us to potential contagion. However, public space is also a central part of the solution. As we navigate the daily recovery and reopening phases of our cities, we face the challenging task of ensuring that daily activities are conducted under safe protocols.
Aiming to build more human, resilient, and sustainable communities, it is essential to consider how cities should navigate these transitional moments and seek solutions to return to a new public life in gradual stages—ones that account for current care, challenges, issues, and opportunities. Governments, organizations, professionals, institutions, and activists worldwide are promoting a process that recognizes the need for 'transformation and adaptation.' Rather than a natural process of 'reaction and return' to the status quo following the crisis triggered by COVID-19, we are moving toward a process that recognizes and leverages the changes resulting from this new way of inhabiting spaces.
