Protesting is not new. The desire to reclaim the streets is not new. But these specific, massive, and distinctively widespread protests have happened during the COVID-19 lockdown, an event that in itself has caused many cities to rethink street use. Streets are being opened to increase the pedestrian space needed for social distancing, and make room for outdoor restaurant dining, and some cities like Paris are considering permanently converting roads from vehicle to pedestrian and bicycle use.
And now in the George Floyd protests, as with all protests, we see people asserting their right to be in the streets. To occupy and make use of that space. These protests are work; they are a necessity. No one is protesting because they’re trying to take back streets from cars or placemake, but they’ve inadvertently highlighted how much better it is to use public space in a more human-centered, non vehicle-dominant way.
On a fundamental level we are seeing people using streets in ways that traffic engineers did not have in mind: for uses other than driving. We are seeing placemaking and community building. Although reclaiming streets for human-scale uses is not really a novel idea, the George Floyd protests are one more example of people converting public space to their desired uses. As we reimagine cities during COVID-19, it’s time to redesign our streets and public spaces to better reflect the needs and wants of residents.
People have a latent desire to take back streets in their own way and for their own purposes. The response to police brutality and killings has been an example of people exercising that desire, as demonstrated in the common protest chant, "Whose streets? Our streets!" These instances of road repurposing and placemaking are born from pain and anger yet they have brought communities together and created beauty. Using streets and spaces shouldn’t just occur in the wake of tragedy—it should be intentionally planned and designed into our cities.
A note from Streetsblog Chicago assistant editor Courtney Cobbs: In an ideal world people would not need to protest in the streets, especially not protest to demand the end of state killings at the hands of police officers. Recent conversations around race and planning have highlighted the need to substantively involve residents in the planning of their communities. We must go beyond simply informing communities that there are proposed changes and work towards asking residents what they feel their communities need. Placemaking ideally wouldn't occur in response to a life that was taken too soon, but rather as as a way to create community and foster joy. Planning alone will not be enough to change Black and Brown folks' relationship to the built environment.