Cities can and should play a role in creating safe public spaces and supporting local businesses, according to new plans from Studio One Eleven. The Los Angeles-based design firm recommends that cities adapt outdoor areas and parking into spaces for consumers to engage in commerce from a distance, and therefore support businesses. These spaces would include the creation of temporary parklets, curbside parking and flex areas.

"The city has an opportunity to reposition some spaces to allow businesses to recover," Alan Pullman, a principal at Studio One Eleven, tells GlobeSt.com. "For example, cities control street side parking, and dedicated 5-to-10 minute customer pick-up zones can be really critical to a businesses survival. Having more designated more curbside pick-up zones is really important, and the city can facilitate that by restriping and taking out or re-signing meters."

Initially, curbside parking will be crucial to keeping businesses open. Most businesses will be required to go through a curbside-pick-up phase of re-opening. In later phases, parklets and flex zones will play an important role. Parklets would be used for outdoor dining—areas where tables could be spread out—and places to congregate. They can also be extensions of clothing boutiques, where merchandise can be spread out so that customers can shop without the pressure of a crowded store. Flex zones, on the other hand, would be a lighter version of a parklet, created by roping off existing open spaces, like traffic medians, crosswalks, and side streets, all of which are much less trafficked under social distancing restrictions.