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Need More Outdoor Public Space? Maybe Cities Already Have It.

With parks filled and social distancing in effect, cities need to find more room for residents to get outside during lockdowns. Here’s where it’s hiding.  
A cyclist rides past a closure sign at an entrance to the Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. Public golf courses should be opened up to other uses during the pandemic, many have argued.
A cyclist rides past a closure sign at an entrance to the Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco. Public golf courses should be opened up to other uses during the pandemic, many have argued.David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Late last week, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, teased out impending initiatives to prepare the British capital for “phase two” of the Covid-19 pandemic. City Hall and Transport for London (TfL), he said, expect a ten-fold increase in cycling and a five-fold increase in walking over the next few months, as travel patterns remain resolutely local. That means the shape of the city will need to change.

“We need to come out of this crisis in a radically different way,” Norman said.