Do empty streets mean the city is empty? Silent storefronts, office buildings, public space, and transit — bellwethers for the profound effect that COVID-19 does and will have on the public realm and a healthy civic life. This program acknowledges and looks beyond the dire straits of the past year: office space at 25% capacity, a boom in public meeting places, decreased activity in city centers, a shift away from shared and public transport, & an acceleration in our reliance on digital services. Yet the chaos has opened opportunities for a more balanced, just, and sustainable urban reality.
Photo: SF Shared Shared Spaces
Panelists
Robin Abad Ocubillo (Moderator)
SFUFF Program Producer, Civil Servant, Urban Designer
Vivian Doumpa
Planner and Geographer (Athens, Greece)
Jung-In Kim
Professor of Architecture, Soongsil University (Seoul, Korea)
Dr. Juliet Kahne
Director of Events, Project for Public Spaces (NYC, USA)
Films
What a City of Eight Million Looks Like During a Pandemic
USA | 2020 | 6 mins
Social distancing and mass burials are now a part of New York’s cityscape. Here, front-line workers grapple with their anxieties about how the coronavirus has affected their city. Cinematography/Producer/Editor: Zack Taylor; Co-Producer: Zoe Taylor. Courtesy of The New Yorker.
The Streets of Seoul Under Quarantine
South Korea | 2020 | 6 mins.
Scenes from a day of weirdness under lockdown, as residents of Seoul practice social distancing to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Cinematographer: Seunggu Kim; Editor: Brian Redondo. Courtesy of The New Yorker.
The Streets of New Orleans Under Quarantine
USA | 2020 | 10 mins.
Scenes from a week of weirdness under lockdown, as residents of New Orleans practice social distancing to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Cinematographer: Kathleen Flynn; Producer/Editor: Dominique Hessert. Courtesy of The New Yorker.
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