Across the globe, major sporting and cultural events were cancelled or moved to virtual, on-line venues. National and state/provincial governments enforced different levels of lockdowns, ranging from restricting people’s movements to essential services (accessing health care, buying food, getting COVID tested/vaccinated and limited daily exercise, e.g., Australia) to being allowed to leave the house every second day and then only for food and health care (e.g., Panama) with some sections of society not being allowed to leave the house at all (e.g., youth under 20 in Turkey). In addition, human movement could be restricted during periods of ‘lockdown’ by issuing stay-at-home orders. To slow down the progress of COVID-19 and then to suppress or eliminate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, governments enforced public health measures of various duration, that have involved, inter alia, limiting international passenger arrivals to repatriation flights, imposing restrictions on domestic travel (between states or between local government areas), the temporary closure of businesses deemed non-essential (e.g., hair dressers, clothing shops, luxury goods), and enforcing social distancing rules by capping numbers attending public venues. These include the provision of social distancing ‘pods’ embedded in design and landscaping of permanent parks, the design of ad-hoc, socially distanced ‘parklets’ on a quietened street and a rethink of the design of curb-to-boundary setbacks (nature strip) in residential streets. Design concepts for long-term planning adjustments as well as for future ad-hoc solutions are provided. Based on these observations, the paper discusses a range of options for the provision of pandemic-sensitive spaces for physical exercise and mental recreation. This paper reviews the role that urban green spaces played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Urban planning needs to incorporate the lessons learnt during COVID-19 in order to future-proof our communities. Given the presence of similar coronaviruses in animal populations, it can be predicted that future epidemics and even pandemics will occur. In this social climate, urban green spaces have attained a high significance for the maintenance of the physical and mental health of the population. Periodic lockdown and stay-at-home orders have exacerbated the situation. ![]() The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a social and economic disruptor on a global scale, severely curtailing people’s ability to travel and engage in many recreation activities.
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