Public space and human interactions as a starting point to change face to our city
The relations between people and open space have been always in a central position in the architectural world. Covid-19 pandemic pointed up the lack of quality and quantity of city’s public space. Architects are rethinking the common ways of living in terms of respecting physical distancing while promoting social interaction. The caring infrastructure is not just about how to live the city during Covid-19 time, it is also an opportunity to approach issues that define nowadays urban space, and to visualize possible long-term solutions for the city of tomorrow. The caring intervention aims to be a manifesto of an attitude toward city (re)interpretation in the short and long-term scenarios. The proposed intervention wants to transform a low-quality parking space on the back of a high-rise building into a vegetable and flower garden where people can be able to meet and to do activities together while maintaining physical distancing. The microclimate created has as a central element, the green, that become a filter that helps Covid-19 spread prevention. Through this low-cost but highly effective intervention, it is proposed not just a space that helps inhabitants to build-up relations during a particular time but also a new approach that triggers the existing problems of a city developed around capitalistic and vehicle-oriented rules. Thanks to the caring infrastructure, it is started an evolutive transformation that aims to bring human being as a first city’s actor. The caring intervention creates the possibility to approach the problematics related to public space in the city, for example the underdeveloped green mobility infrastructure, public furniture, services, and others. Thanks to the design actions inspired by the trigger intervention, it will be possible to spread out the implementations reaching a healthier and community-based environment. As an example of what it will be possible to gain from the approach, it is proposed a project in Shanghai, more specifically in Hongkou District where the author applied the mentioned actions proposing a new face for public space of the future that is inclusive, all ages, centred on shared and public mobility, walkable, and cyclable. In one sentence, a space between buildings that allow people to stay safe while deciding how to express themselves by using it.
