Students create guidebook to make public spaces safe amid Covid-19 pandemic

While the country is in unlock mode, citizens are still hesitant to access public spaces for fear of getting infected. To provide stakeholders with a ready reckoner

While the country is in unlock mode, citizens are still hesitant to access public spaces for fear of getting infected. To provide stakeholders with a ready reckoner to better basic infrastructure at public spaces, two urban planning students have created a guidebook for decision-makers to keep public places free of Covid-19.

HT Image

The guidebook Back to the City provides simple interventions for urban spaces like streets, parks, public transport, markets, malls, schools and offices. It has been designed under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and CEPT University under the BMZ (Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development) funded project Sustainable Urban Development - Smart Cities.

Nisarg Shah, who is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Urban Design from CEPT University, said, “The handbook has been designed in such a way that the illustrations can be understood by people who cannot read. These pamphlets can be posted in public spaces so that people are constantly reminded to maintain social distancing norms. At the end of each suggestion, the guidebook also states which authority is responsible to implement it.”

For instance, the streets guidebook states that the government and private entities must come together to create more awareness about social distancing norms through street art. It also suggests that the government must create health checkpoints at major crossings in the city and improve them with public health facilities.

Shah, along with Smrithi Prasad designed the handbook as part of their internship at GIZ. “We will also be presenting the handbook to the National Institute of Urban Affairs next week,” Shah said. Prasad, who completed her Masters in Urban Design from CEPT, said, “We are currently in Unlock 5, but we have seen that there has been overcrowding at many places. Plus, many people fear accessing public spaces because the norms might not be followed.”

Prasad said that they are focusing on publishing these guidebooks on various digital platforms.