Learn about the various strategies communities are implementing in response to increased demands for safe public space for walking and cycling during the COVID19 crisis.

Researchers at UNC’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center will present on an effort to collect and analyze data on these strategies in order to identify community-based factors related to their adoption, impacts, long-term viability, and potential unintended consequence. 

Tools for collecting pedestrian data in all communities will be presented and a range of possible indicators and creative indirect measures of pedestrian activity will be explored. 

Attendees will be invited via instant polling to contribute to this ongoing research by sharing observations and opinions about the changing demands on public space in your community:

• Are space considerations a significant issue in your community?
• What is your experience in sharing public space and social distancing?
• How safe are you feeling?
• What feedback are you hearing from others in your community about what’s working (or not working for them)? 

Presenters will also share suggestions for creative approaches attendees can use to estimate the impacts of COVID-19 on walking conditions and pedestrian activity in their communities. Join us and become a citizen scientist for helping us all understand the many ways that COVID-19-induced stay-at-home orders and social distancing are changing the way we use public space.