Outdoor Dining

Pandemic Shutdown

Massachusetts Reopens, But Too Early?

Many coronavirus restrictions were lifted on Monday in Massachusetts by Gov. Charlie Baker due to falling COVID cases and hospitalizations, but many experts feel the move is too hasty and could lead to a resurgence in the virus.

March 3, 2021 - Associated Press

Pandemic Public Health

California's Stringent Coronavirus Restrictions Worked

Public health experts credit the controversial L.A. County public health order and the state's regional order, both of which banned outdoor dining, with reducing the viral spread that overwhelmed hospitals with COVID patients last month.

February 8, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus

Outdoor Dining and Indoor Haircuts Return to California

With COVID infections plummeting, Gov. Gavin Newsom surprisingly lifted California's regional stay home order that had imposed the nation's strictest personal and business restrictions during the most deadly phase of the pandemic.

January 27, 2021 - California Department of Public Health

Düsseldorf Stadtbahn

Germany Locks Down to Protect Healthcare System

Beginning Dec. 16, all of Germany will be subject to stricter coronavirus restrictions to reduce infections following a meeting with the chancellor and the 16 state governors. Schools will close and restaurants will be confined to take-out service.

December 15, 2020 - Associated Press

Grocery Store Public Health

California Judge Berates L.A. County Public Health Department in Outdoor Dining Ruling

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was critical of county public health officials for banning outdoor dining to slow the spread of the coronavirus without providing scientific evidence that the order would reduce infections.

December 14, 2020 - Courthouse News Service

West Hollywood, California

Outdoor Dining Outlawed in L.A. County—Restaurateurs Want to Know Why

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently closed outdoor dining because of a sudden but rapid rise of coronavirus infections in the county.

December 8, 2020 - Los Angeles Eater

New York City Open Streets

New Car Owners, Fewer Parking Spaces—Chickens Come to Roost in New York City

Many cities like New York have reallocated space formerly reserved for moving and storing cars to help restaurants and stores weather the pandemic, but as more residents rely on cars for the same reason, the dynamic threatens to boil over.

November 11, 2020 - New York Post

Winter Markets

Winter Is Coming—Capitalize on It

Outdoor dining programs have provided relief for local restaurants and retailers, while offering an oasis of social life for residents. The winter months will challenge that momentum, but creative, flexible approaches can save the day again.

November 9, 2020 - Andrew M. Manshel

Seattle Coronavirus

Seattle Extends Outdoor Dining for a Year, Eases Rules on Heaters for the Winter

Outdoor dining is going to hang out for a bit.

October 22, 2020 - Eater Seattle

Outdoor Dining

The Metrics of Outdoor Dining

Outdoor dining programs are proving popular in cities all over the United States, as a lifeline for both restaurants and residents seeking some social normalcy. Data from San Francisco reveal the numbers behind the phenomenon.

October 20, 2020 - Eater San Francisco

Outdoor Dining

Outdoor Dining No Refuge From the Danger of Cars

A driver lost control of his SUV in San José, California this week, plowing into an outdoor dining area and killing one customer.

October 14, 2020 - The Mercury News

Coronavirus in Oregon

Strange Days: Outrage Absent as Businesses Reclaim Parking Spots

It took a pandemic, but the worldwide effort to move restaurant and retail businesses outside, at the expense of parking, is proving far less controversial than it would have before the coronavirus swept the globe.

October 6, 2020 - NPR

The Oval+

Covid-19 Outdoor Dining Rules Could Last Through 2021 in Philadelphia

Emergency outdoor dining regulations approved in June and set to expired in December could now be extended through the coming year.

September 28, 2020 - WHYY

New York City Open Streets

New York Outdoor Dining, Open Streets Programs Now Permanent

New York City will now be measurably less car-centric for the indefinite future.

September 27, 2020 - Eater New York

Al Fresco Gelato

Berkeley Could Redefine the Al Fresco Streets Movement

The city of Berkeley is pursuing an aggressive plan to open the streets for outdoor dining as an economic development tool for local commercial businesses.

May 17, 2020 - Eater San Francisco

Pizza in Connecticut

Minimum Parking Requirements Lifted to Support Outdoor Dining in Connecticut

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont included an historic measure in a May 10 executive order: statewide suspension of parking minimums to facilitate outdoor activities.

May 13, 2020 - Governor Ned Lamont

Public Wi-Fi

Outdoor Dining Over Cars—Could it Happen in the United States?

Could New York City follow in the footsteps of...Vilnius?

May 1, 2020 - Eater New York

San Francisco Looks At Converting Parking to Public Space

Inspired by the home-grown Park(ing) Day parking spot conversion event, the city of San Francisco is launching a pilot project to convert street parking in its North Beach neighborhood to outdoor dining areas and public spaces.

February 16, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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