Taking back the streets with COVID-19

Cities across the country are putting up pilons to make more space for pedestrians and cyclists during the pandemic but will this lead to permanent changes in urban design putting people over cars?

CALGARY (CityNews) – Canadian cities are making changes to their busy urban centres during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it could be bad news for car owners.

Cities across the country are putting up pylons in streets to effectively expand sidewalks and make more space for pedestrians and cyclists during the pandemic. The moves are said to be temporary, but what if they are not?

RELATED: Calgary blocks traffic lanes to help pathway users maintain two-metre separation

“Perhaps this is a further demonstration that we do need to perhaps look at urban design being more active transportation-friendly,” said David Legg, professor of health and physical education at Mount Royal University. “Maybe this creates an entire renaissance of community belongingness.

“I think it’s up to our politicians and policy developers and even urban planners to think about the greater good.”

Sandeep Agrawal from the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Alberta believes the changes are only temporary.

“(They) are mostly in response to the immediate crisis,” said Agrawal. “We have yet to see if it has any legs in terms of a long-term future.

“There may be a push towards making cities more digital, so what we are doing currently using a virtual medium of connecting with each other. And then I think it’s about flexible work design to take some pressure off the commuting part of it.”

Some restaurant owners are welcoming the new pedestrian walkways, hoping it can create extra patio space during the warm summer months. Others are not as optimistic.

“For every restaurant that says I want the space for my patio, I hear from a restaurant that says I need to be able to have people drop off my elderly patrons right to my door or I need cab service right there,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

What the future holds for Canadian cities is still anyone’s guess.

“The COVID issue is just such a wild card because once it’s ‘over,’ do people go back to the behaviours and attitudes and beliefs they had prior?” asked Legg. “Or has enough time passed and our behaviours have been reinforced enough that things do change?”

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