In Copenhagen, t he popularity of local meeting places in adjacent neighbourhoods (2-2.5 times as much use compared to pre-lockdown data) indicate that school yards, pocket parks and small squares serve more of an outsize role in urban life than we might have previously appreciated. We see a few trends in public space that we think might be here for good. Are there things that we are doing now, that will become part of the “new normal”? The key will be to build on the sense of community and social cohesion while overcoming the current economic crisis, in a way that catalyses the start to a sustainable and climate-ready transition.Ģ. This crisis has shown us the power of behaviour change – both how adaptable humans are, and how much of an impact that adaptation can have on our society – socially, environmentally, and of course economically. Probably not completely – think about how the airport security worked before 9-11. Will things ever go back to the way they were? There are two main questions that are guiding our work –ġ. And that there is a higher percentage of kids and elderly people in public spaces and a greater percentage of women than men, than in studies carried out pre-COVID-19. We observed that the amount of people spending time in public space, exercising and playing had also increased. In our study, we found downtowns largely deserted but local meeting places thriving.
We supplemented this with an online surveys and will be carrying out follow-up qualitative studies including on-site interviews of people in public space. On March 13 th, Denmark was one of the first countries to “lock-down”, closing businesses, stores, restaurants and schools. With support from the City of Copenhagen and the Foundation Realdania, the Gehl team quickly mobilized to understand how people use the city when only the most essential and basic functions in the city are open. Using our digital platform, we carried out observational data collection in four Danish cities. Therefore the way that cities leverage the public realm as part of a their re-opening strategy could hold far reaching social and economic consequences in addition to the obvious health impacts. With no vaccine or cure available for the pandemic, physical space has now become the mechanism to fight, prevent, and control the spread, while providing the intrinsic benefits these places offer. Israels Plads (Copenhagen) in 2018 & 2020
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