Now More Than Ever, Our Communities Need Space

We are not even halfway through 2020 and what a year this has been! It began, as all new years do, with hope and optimism. But we quickly realized that we – and I mean EVERYBODY – were under attack by an indiscriminate viral enemy that doesn’t care who you are, who you voted for, or where you live. Until a treatment or vaccine becomes available, one effective response was to socially distance ourselves and wear masks in public.

Social distancing requires SPACE, and in some cities, that response is in the form of selected street closures. This allows more room for pedestrians and room for outdoor dining (to keep our restaurants in business). To be sure, some cities already had very wide sidewalks, and even some pedestrian malls, that easily accommodated these distancing needs. Others are working through how to implement these changes while still accommodating traffic and delivery needs.

While the importance of public space and distancing was one way to deal with the virus, another more visceral need surfaced in late May 2020 with the nationwide (and international) protests against the killing of George Floyd.

Peaceful protest is a right for all Americans, guaranteed by the First Amendment (adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights). Yet it is surprising how few cities actually plan for and provide adequate space to accommodate peaceful protests. While Mr. L’Enfant may not have had peaceful protests in mind, his design of Washington DC does a pretty good job of providing space for them. The National Mall has been a gathering place for protest marches for over 100 years and the wide avenues that bisect the District can also be temporarily closed to accommodate the largest of protests and marches.

Not every city is so designed and many do not have the spaces for Americans to exercise their right to protest. Here’s a brief list of urban design characteristics to help create spaces for protests when needed:

• Protests Are Mobile – Not every protest is a static gathering. Most, if not all, involve a march that terminates at an important destination. If they have not already done so, city planners and engineers should start thinking about the best routes for these peaceful marches.
• Spaces Should Be Visible and Prominent – It does no good to create a dedicated protest route or space in a grassy field on the edge of town, in a suburban stadium parking lot, or somewhere else “out of the way”. Gathering spaces should be in a prominent public place or in front the seat of power (city hall, courthouse, police headquarters, etc.), and someplace where the press can cover these events safely.
• Spaces Should Be Safe – Some urban plazas, like the ones in front of Dallas and Boston city halls, may be big enough for large crowds but they can also be extremely hot in the summer months. Many involved in the current protests have suffered from heat stroke because there is little to no shade, no water fountains, or little or no green space. Public spaces should be designed with public safety in mind.
• Spaces Should Be Accessible – Not everyone can or should drive to a protest. Multimodal accessibility is important and should allow for easy access by pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, and other modes.
• Spaces Should Be Flexible – When necessary, intersecting and parallel streets can be closed off to augment the space for larger crowds. And as we have seen with social distancing, wider sidewalks also help to provided needed space.
• How Big Should A Space Be? – There are some general guidelines to estimate crowd size. From the densest crowds (2.5 square feet per person – think "mosh pits"), to elbow-to-elbow space (about 4.5 square feet per person) to a light crowd (about 10 square feet per person). Using the largest metric (10 square feet per person), a group of 1,000 people would require about 10,000 square feet. For a protest march, that’s about 1 city block for each 1,000 marchers (assumes a 100-foot wide area). Your specific space requirements may vary.
• Spaces Should Be For Pedestrians – This may rankle some transportation planners, but on-street parking should be prohibited on certain streets which have been designated as “flex space” for protest areas. This is not necessary on every street, of course, just those that link with the open space for protests.

None of the above makes mention of violent protests or looting. There is no Constitutional right for these activities and most involved in the George Floyd protests have vociferously decried the violence and looting. Some have formed human chains to protect local businesses. In some instances, a few have identified outside agitators and voluntarily subdued them, then turned them over to police. None of the peaceful protestors see any value in destroying their own neighborhood businesses (many of which are locally-owned).

Please consider the above as a start, not a definitive list of characteristics. When we plan our cities big and small, we should be thinking about spaces for peaceful protests the same way we talk about gathering spaces for large public celebrations. This is especially prescient since over 50% of Americans now live in urbanized areas (over 50,000 population), with that percentage projected to increase. As we grow, we cannot ignore the need for these important public spaces.

Peaceful protests are a right and we should be planning the spaces to accommodate them today and in the future.