Bloomberg Business Week by Kristen V. Brown. ILLUSTRATION: ROSE WONG FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK
Past pandemics also forced a rethinking of physical space.
It’s painfully clear that our world has been constructed for a reality that no longer exists. Crowded subway cars, packed restaurants, and bustling sidewalks all pose a threat every time someone nearby sneezes, talks, or even just breathes.
Eventually, architects and engineers will reconstruct the world around us to take into account the pandemic—and others that may follow. Temporary plexiglass barriers and markings on the floor may give way to designs that favor privacy and small groupings of people to limit the spread of pathogens.
