What can we do?

During COVID-19 my colleagues have creatively labored over the logistics of what can we do.  How do we navigate the public engagement portions of our projects?  What is the best way to conduct virtual meetings with our clients? How do we conduct a planned three-day in-person charrette without in-person contact?

At home our family is asking the same question…what can we do?  How do we make the upcoming holidays festive without our usual traditions and gatherings?  How can I celebrate a friend’s birthday? When are the pick-up times for curbside pickup to shop locally and pick up library books?  And the most ominous question, how will we get through the cold, lonely winter? 

To look for answers to this question the firm, Bench Consulting, recently launched a design competition for winter placemaking. The idea was to collect Winter Activation Ideas for Main Streets and Neighborhoods During COVID-19.  If you would like to receive a copy of the compilation of the ideas, go to this link.  In addition to what you see in the collection of ideas, I would love to see streets closed for a loop ice-skating or cross-country ski path through town. As a Saint Paul resident it is surprising to see a lack of recommendations for ice sculptures and palaces. And my secondary proposal would include a proposed walkway with Full Spectrum (SAD) lighting and speakers reciting poetry about spring and piping in the sounds of birds chirping as a temporary escape from the short and dark days of winter.  

I’m feeling good about what we can do.  And feeling especially grateful about what we can do when the pandemic ends!

-Ellison