Manual of Physical
Distancing




2020
LTL Architects
Location: New York, NY
Recognition:
AIANY Project Award Citation (For Serving As An Impactful Resource)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manual of Physical Distancing is the result of a months long ongoing research effort in the summer of 2020 to understand and visualize the unfolding implications of the virus’s impact on urban spaces and the built environment. By synthesizing medical research and urban design response into a single document, the manual is meant to be used as a toolkit, not only for the current issues raised by the coronavirus pandemic, but for other similar global-scale events that could arise in the future. At the time of its release it was a living document with periodic publications in the months following the disease outbreak. Its scope expands beyond the current moment, analyzing the centuries-long history of global pandemics, the impact they have had on societies, and the urban and architectural responses that arose from these times of hardship. Taking this ethos of change to heart, the research culminated in proposals of how to reimagine the urban street scape to be more pedestrian and pandemic friendly. Using New York as a prototype, schemes were devised on how to turn parking spaces into usable outdoor parks and dining areas, while car traffic lanes were deprioritized and reallocated as protected bike lanes. Perhaps most impactful was the work conducted as part of Neighborhoods Now in the Jackson Heights Neighborhood of Queens. This partnership connected local business owners with architects and urban designers to help them implement social distancing measures and apply for heath department approval so they could stay open and in business. The team also provided urban planning strategies, included neighborhood public transportation and mobility mapping to aide in the Open Streets application process.

Manual of Physical Distancing




2020
LTL Architects
Location: New York, NY
Recognition:
AIANY Project Award Citation (For Serving As An Impactful Resource)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manual of Physical Distancing is the result of a months long ongoing research effort in the summer of 2020 to understand and visualize the unfolding implications of the virus’s impact on urban spaces and the built environment. By synthesizing medical research and urban design response into a single document, the manual is meant to be used as a toolkit, not only for the current issues raised by the coronavirus pandemic, but for other similar global-scale events that could arise in the future. At the time of its release it was a living document with periodic publications in the months following the disease outbreak. Its scope expands beyond the current moment, analyzing the centuries-long history of global pandemics, the impact they have had on societies, and the urban and architectural responses that arose from these times of hardship. Taking this ethos of change to heart, the research culminated in proposals of how to reimagine the urban street scape to be more pedestrian and pandemic friendly. Using New York as a prototype, schemes were devised on how to turn parking spaces into usable outdoor parks and dining areas, while car traffic lanes were deprioritized and reallocated as protected bike lanes. Perhaps most impactful was the work conducted as part of Neighborhoods Now in the Jackson Heights Neighborhood of Queens. This partnership connected local business owners with architects and urban designers to help them implement social distancing measures and apply for heath department approval so they could stay open and in business. The team also provided urban planning strategies, included neighborhood public transportation and mobility mapping to aide in the Open Streets application process.

 






Street Mobility Study









82nd Street Business Improvement District (BID)
Jackson Heights, Queens





District Public Transportation Network














Restaurants and Businesses in BID

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