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Keeping A Distance

Designers around the world show creative ways of social distancing in public areas.

Tay Suan Chiang

Published Thu, Jul 16, 2020 · 09:50 PM

Design

AS CITIES AROUND moved into lockdown mode to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, caution tape was plastered around public space to prevent people from entering them. But creative director David Michon felt that the tape sent the wrong message to residents. "Plastic barriers and caution tape didn't honour how valuable public spaces of our cities had become - they reflected the fears and anxieties of being out of the house, not the joy of it."

Together with creative agency Ask Us For Ideas, he asked designers to imagine how cities could encourage safe behaviour in a more compelling way. The result is Where We Stand, a project featuring 15 ways of practising social distancing in unconventional ways. Mr Michon adds, "As news stories show, especially in good weather there's not a lot that can keep people away from outdoor spaces. No…