During a few short weeks, much of the world as we know it changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered how most people go about their daily lives with huge shifts to how we move in the world, how we get groceries and food, whether we go outside, where we go, who we see, and what we do. The requirement of “social or physical distancing”—maintaining at least 6’ (2 m) distance between people, with significant reductions or bans on group gatherings and crowds—combined with what we know today about the transmission of this coronavirus and its increased communicability in indoor settings, requires that we reallocate our streets and sidewalks for public use during this crisis and for the future.

The need is now. Cities across the world are working in real time to grapple with the horrific death toll of COVID-19 and its devastating economic and social impacts. To meet our immediate health needs and to chart a safe course to allow businesses, institutions, and services to re-open, cities are innovating and adapting. They are changing their streets over the course of days to help their residents stay safe in a time of crisis and to prepare people and societies for the health, social, and economic recovery ahead. These emerging street design and transportation practices are at the front lines of cities’ defense against this coronavirus, essential to preventing future outbreaks and an integral part of our total public health response.

The impacts of COVID-19 are vast and will be long-lasting. As cities around the world are noting, changing our streets now—shifting how space is allocated or shared and which uses are prioritized—is a key tool for mitigating COVID-19’s mortality, health, economic, and social impacts. As we recover, we must continue to align street design and recovery strategies to ensure that the existing inequalities and challenges that this virus is magnifying are not exacerbated in the world we build in the months and years to come.