In 2020, NACTO mapped out a series of key design principles that cities could use as a model to inform ongoing COVID-19 response strategies in Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery. NACTO then launched a competitive grant opportunity, providing funding to cities working to put these principles into action.

Selected projects created space for learning and play, brought information about city programs and COVID-19 to the streets, provided opportunities to listen to the community, and enabled a shift in thinking about what issues people face in this moment—and how cities can wield their power to help identify and address them.