The Socially Distanced Life of Small Urban Spaces
In 1970, William Whyte’s study of public space became an instant companion for designers, architects, and planners when designing public urban spaces. The anthropological study of human behavior in public space attempted to understand, and set a reference for the curious dynamic of people in the city. However, public space is not immune to change by external factors such as neoliberalism, climate change, and more recently epidemics. The photo essay which started as a comparison between the use of the Seagram Building’s Plaza in the 60s done by Whyte, compared to 2020 amidst a pandemic, then expanded to explore the social aspect of public urban spaces in New York City at this critical point in time.
As Covid-19 is reshaping urban public life, the photographs give an insight into many questions that concerns the use of public space. Decisions regarding zoning laws, gentrification, and the design of public spaces themselves become clear in these photographs as they show which spaces are being used, and how.
The series is documented throughout the rise, peak, and relative decline of the pandemic. After the city-wide lockdown, and the slow decline of the virus, people started rushing to parks, basketball courts, riverfronts, small neighborhood parks, and beaches. However, use and behavior differed between each of the public spaces. As we prepare for the long road ahead before a vaccine comes out, use of public space will remain different, yet at the same time not guaranteeing that behavior will return to a pre-covid “normal”. In this critical point, the series invites us to question the role of public space, to whom it serves, and how people can use it safely.
