The Importance of Public Realm in a Covid-19 World

Public space has been something many have taken for granted, it’s importance only made clear when COVID-19 disrupted the flow of daily life. This sudden and profound effect of the global pandemic forced many to appreciate the public spaces immediately available to us, and to question the use of space surrounding our homes and within our communities.

Pippa Goldfinger at the the RIBA Journal interviewed four architects and asked them - How can we maintain and enhance the availability and value of public space now? 

RIBA Future Places: The Heart and Charms of Great Yarmouth

Anna Liu, Director, discusses the importance of public space during the global pandemic. As people become more socially isolated with less access to outdoor spaces, their appreciation for space has increased: ‘You can see the joy on their faces when they are out in public spaces, catching other people’s eyes and smiling and exercising under trees’ with more people using public spaces for gatherings and activities.

Through the use of their unique design methodology of Asking Looking Playing Making they can make clear the idiosyncrasies of a community, and identify these early on to inform the character of the design. This approach was used in the recent RIBA Future Places case study: Greening Great Yarmouth. 

Carl Turner, Director at Turner Works; James Barnfield, Director at Hilton Barnfield; and Juliet Bidgood, Founder at Juliet Bidgood Architecture + Urbanism, also share their views on the importance of the public realm. You can read the full article online here.