Shared streets are not only beneficial to the users of the streets, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, but their advantages also extend to businesses that are within the proximity of these streets. According to the Global Designing Cities Initiative, shared streets contribute to the public space network or commercial establishments in these areas by adding vibrancy and activity with the use of outdoor dining, public seating, artwork, and landscaping. This was further supported by a study done by the University of Tokyo on the economic impact of pedestrianised streets. Stores located in the pedestrian environment tend to generate higher sales volumes than those located in the non-pedestrian environment. Although it has to be taken into consideration that the stores with the most positive impact are those that fall under the café and restaurant-related category (Yoshimura, 2020). On the other side of the world, a similar phenomenon has been observed. According to CityLab, a Yelp data analysis shows a new insight on how pedestrian-friendly streets attract more business.

The city putting this economic advantage of shared streets into motion is the capital city of Lithuania. Vilnius has turned its streets into a vast open-air café in light of the COVID-19 restrictions. This effort to turn the streets into open-air cafés is one of the ways the city helps its people encourage the reopening of their establishments whilst practising the required social distancing measures. The city has put efforts into place to ensure that the strict guidelines would be followed, and these efforts did not go unnoticed by restaurant owners, who applauded this initiative. More and more business owners have applied to take part in this city-wide opening of public streets to outdoor dining and pedestrian-friendly activities.

The pandemic has drastically changed the world since its onslaught began in the early months of 2020. It has been more than 2 years since the world has made efforts to combat the virus and at the same time accept and adjust to its presence in our everyday lives. More than the physical infrastructure being put in place and the new ways of life being put into motion, community building and community efforts are also being put into action to foster that sense of togetherness that has been lost in the extensive and uncertain implementation of lockdowns across the globe. From granular restrictions in local areas of a city, to citywide lockdowns, to restricted travel around the world, our sense of belonging and intimacy with each other has turned bleak and isolated. 

Space has gained a different sense in the post-Covd-19 world. Space is now a barrier to both our safety from the virus and our interaction with the world outside our own bubbles.With the efforts of shared streets, open streets, or whatever it is you see fit to describe them, these initiatives have given us a chance to once again blur the lines of the space around us without compromising the safety that it provides us. With the world recalibrating and unlearning the mistakes of the past that have been brought to attention because of the pandemic, we are learning new ways to live with a more conscious approach to life. 

The pandemic is still very much a tragedy that the world and its people are living through and battling with every day, but challenges also come with solutions, and solutions are an opportunity to explore, and opportunities present situations that call for innovations. With the world slowly opening up and starting to rebuild a life post pandemic, the world can view the future with hope and see the silver lining of opportunities that lie ahead after the many vague years that the world has been through due to the pandemic. The future of the post-pandemic world is just the beginning of the world’s healing.