STREETS FOR PEOPLE
COVID-19 has impacted on a global level, changing lives and routines in myriad ways. Throughout the national lockdown and periods of furlough, the Creed Design team have fortunately managed to stay physically safe and well. We have stayed in touch, regularly catching up as a team to share the ways that we are caring for ourselves, developing new skills and stretching our creativity. The team has a variety of creative backgrounds and interests that goes beyond our shared passion for outstanding interior design, including architecture, city planning, illustration, photography, and textiles. We have drawn, crocheted, gardened, cast concrete and cooked to keep our curiosity alive, as well enjoying many of the online workshops and seminars that have been shared amongst the design community.
What has become apparent, is like many, we have been thinking about immediate communities and the way that great design can positively tackle some of the longer term issues that are resulting from the pandemic. For those of us based in Leicester we have taken great interest in the changes the local council have made to roads and highways. They have created new cycle routes and walking zones, enabling the temporary use of pavements and parking bays to allow local hospitality businesses to serve their customers outside, building business resilience.
In considering the changes to our city and the way people will use public spaces, we designed some potential solutions in the form of parklets, these could provide pop up seating areas for locals to drink and eat. We knew they would need to be easy to construct and install, sustainability and accessibility were key issues that we also considered.
Our video shows a proposal for Granby Street in Leicester, one of the key routes from Leicester Train Station to the city centre. These parklets would create a pleasant public space for small groups to socialise in and would be a great addition to public spaces. We would love these to be a reality in the not too distant future.
