London: Social distancing, green spaces & post-quarantine urbanism
Perspectives from April, 2020
The World Health Organization has recommended 1.5m as a safe distance for people to be at from one another during the pandemic. In the UK, movement during the lockdown is governed by two-meter social distancing measures. The two-meter distancing policy is re-shaping experiences with our environment for everyone, everywhere across the UK. Under current government guidelines, we can only go out for ‘essential’ work or travel, exercise or for food. For those of us that live in cities, this means that our main interactions with our surroundings are confined to nearby supermarkets and parks where social distancing measures ensure that we may shop and exercise at a safe distance from one another.
Journalists across the board have reflected on the dramatic change to life caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Speculative articles have questioned the potential lasting social effects of the virus. A recent article in the Economist explored whether offices will be used in the same way given the transition to online videoconferences, suggesting that the pandemic has only accelerated an already existing trend. Elsewhere, A BBC journalist reflected on changing commuter trends in London, observing how fears of catching coronavirus on public transport have resulted in a surge in bicycle sales. The article’s author goes on to question whether this could spark a renewed investment in cycle infrastructure post-quarantine? From the perspective of urban studies, the heightened importance of parks and local green spaces during this time proves a unique chance to re-evaluate the role these spaces have in our cities. This short essay considers how the pandemic could contribute to new and different understandings of urbanism post-quarantine in relation to the current effects of social distancing.
It is almost surreal how normal two-meter social distancing has become. The other day I found myself observing a supermarket queue. The distance people left between them and the person in front of them varied here and there. Some were slightly closer while others slightly further apart. When the lockdown began supermarkets made attempts to tape out two-meter distances on the pavement outside. Now these are neither necessary nor noticed. We all have a relatively good idea about how far apart we should be from each other. Six weeks ago however, two-meters didn’t mean anything. Now, this arbitrary distance has become the defining measurement for how the UK is managing the lockdown. Whenever we venture out of our homes, our movement is guided by the two-meter rule. Everything is defined by this distance, even the simple act of walking down a street has become a zigzag affair of constant crossing back and forth or ducking into the gutter while those you are passing hug the wall. When walking in the local park I take care to carve out the most direct path in my mind to get across the green space and avoid everyone else that is out for his or her daily exercise. Occasional adjustments have to be made here and there based on runners and dog walkers, but the two-meter buffer is never breached.
Two meter social distancing has turned our cities upside down. The high street is dead and desolate and has become a surprising place of calm. Meanwhile, the new centre of urban living has become our local green spaces. This ‘new normal’ is providing a different way of experiencing and moving about urban spaces. At the same time, this radical shift of how we use and experience urban space can provide an opportunity for us to re-consider how we interact with such spaces.
Our nearest green spaces are intrinsic during this lockdown. They offer a destination and somewhere to go at a time when there is nowhere to be. However we are not using them in a way that is altogether familiar to any of us. We migrate to these spaces daily, alone or with other members of our household simply to find some space, air and exercise. While the various parks throughout London are full of individuals or pairs quietly walking about in various directions none are using them as spaces to socialise or play. Under the rules of the lockdown the latter function for green spaces has been lost altogether.
A few weeks back, the local council closed Brockwell Park in South London allegedly because there were too many people revelling in the sunshine and not using the park only to exercise. Papers at the time reported on 3000 people over the course of the day visiting the park. Regardless of how you chose to break this number down (be it by hour or even by m2 of green space), the closing of the park seemed somewhat unwarranted and sparked a backlash among local residents. The principle culprits were the few who sat down or sunbathed, which distinctly does not meet the criteria for being outdoors at a time of lockdown. Strange as it may seem, in these unprecedented times such benign acts to which we would have never given a second thought are now chastised and considered a ‘wrong use’ of our green spaces.
What if we took this lockdown as a chance to evaluate, not what we cannot or should not do in green spaces, but what we are lacking from them? During this lockdown, green spaces are mainly being used to walk or run around. For many this means sticking to the perimeter and not using the space itself. We are not making use of the whole space or rather, the space is not meeting our needs. Perhaps there are some alternative ways in how we conceive and use green space? Aside from parks and playing fields, there are multiple ‘green routes’ that can be found in many urban environments. These are pathways or trails that run through the city, which offer a different form of green space. In Copenhagen for example, the green cycle route, which sweeps east to west across the city, is a wonderful example of green space that interacts with various needs. The route serves as something to pass through as a cyclist, a route to run or walk along and occasionally opens up onto wider green patches containing exercise stations, football pitches, benches etc. In London, the Parkland Walk between Highgate and Finsbury Park or the extensive Green Chain Walk, which sprawls out southwards from the Thames come to mind as equivalent examples linking parks together as part of a wider green network.
Green routes as pathways through urban environments, which link-up bigger green spaces provides just one example of how we can consider urbanism in relation to the lockdown and how it will be affected in the aftermath of the virus. Under the social distancing measures, many of us have felt a sense of frustration and limitation towards urban living. It is important to remember that the two-meter social distancing will not last forever. Yet while it is here for the foreseeable future, we can consider what urban living is like from an unprecedented perspective providing a novel view from which to consider new forms of urbanism to be pursued post-pandemic.
