The effects of COVID-19 on our world at large are still being accounted for and may have ramifications and untold ripple effects for years to come. This far-reaching pandemic marks the first time in recent history that all countries and their citizens are experiencing a challenge together on a global scale. Although reactions and policies have varied widely, one shared result has been a renewed focus on the importance of communal green spaces and outdoor activities.
Current innovations and future urban planning seek to address a variety of emerging human needs. Whether a quick fix like taping off selected benches in a public park or advanced solutions engineering new multi-functional civic areas, city planners and landscape architects are hard at work adapting to our changing environment. From the desire to experience culture, the drive to maintain mental and physical health, and the yearning to connect with nature, now is an unprecedented time to devise new ways of connecting safely.
In this five part essay we’ll examine emerging trends in outdoor performance events, pedestrianization initiatives, landscaping trends, civic considerations and permanent vs. temporary changes in our exterior public environments.
EVOLVING OUTDOOR EVENTS
Live performance has been particularly hard-hit by the novel coronavirus. The prospect of large indoor gatherings reconvening will remain uncertain for some time. Theater, dance, cinema, and concerts have been shuttered around the globe and artists and promoters have been working to find safer outdoor alternatives. The LA Times recently reported on Berkshire Theatre Group’s mounting of an outdoor musical replete with safeguards like digital tickets and programs, masked audience members, mobile plexiglass shields, socially distanced seating and touch-less performance between the artists.
Advance ticket sales for the show have been impressive, indicating that audiences are eager to return to live performance provided that the viewing conditions are safe. Actors’ Equity Association approved the production only after BTG could show that the production met both state and Equity guidelines and protocols. As the first live show to be granted permission by the AEA union in the country, this benchmark production may provide a road map for other companies to follow to produce safe live performances well before a vaccine is available.
Looking towards the cinema, a typical night at the movies has taken a turn to a bygone era, as drive-in theatres experience resurgence across the U.S. Wal-Mart announced a partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival where they will screen outdoor movies at 160 of their store locations. The drive-in concept has also extended to music concerts, with many acts adapting stadium shows to fit into existing parking lots nationwide. We may see these existing lots be adapted into more aesthetic spaces with surrounding greenery as time goes on.
The concert industry is finding other ways to adapt and finding ways to hold properly-distanced and safe events outside. In the UK, The Virgin Money Unity Arena bills itself as the world’s first socially distanced outdoor concert venue and recently had their debut performance. Thousands of attendees enjoyed the show from individual pods placed with ample open green space surrounding each enclosure.
It remains to be seen how smaller performance venues will find ways to move outdoors, but the human desire for community and artistic expression is clear. Providing public spaces like parks and civic centers for performance may well become inherent in city planning, which could bolster our flagging performance industries and provide access to segments of the community not previously able to participate. Reinvigorating small amphitheatres and converting unused lots into flexible performance spaces for more modestly sized audiences could also expand opportunities for artistic engagement.