Resisting hibernation
"Winter placemaking" lures urban dwellers in cold-weather cities out of their self-made cocoons to experience the joys of the frosty season.
A pedestrian is silhouetted against a wet street in downtown Kansas City Dec. 29, 2020, as a winter storm moved through the area.
AP
The pandemic has caused many people to let their instincts for winter hibernation take over even more easily. It feels like time to stay at home, in the cocoon.
In the world’s cold-weather cities, the disinclination to get out and about is even stronger. The thought of freezing fingers or toes doesn’t send people scooting out the door.
But going outside can do wonders for helping people escape from the dreary feeling that the pandemic has placed them under house arrest for the entire season.
To help citizens emerge from their hideouts, many American cities are embracing the concept of “winter place-making,” creating attractive ways to lure citizens outside. They’re being inspired by cities in Canada and Scandinavia that have long looked at winter more as children do: a time for outdoor play, exploration, and enjoyment.
In Edmonton, Alberta, for example, the city clears picnic sites of snow so that they can be used year-round. Fire pits provide places to warm hands and faces, and maybe roast a marshmallow. Bring blankets and hot chocolate and enjoy a meal. The city even sponsors an outdoor film festival, using snow for the screen. And it encourages local weather forecasters to talk in a more positive way about the season’s weather.
Some cold-weather cities are using bright lighting displays to lure shoppers away from their computer screens and into local retail stores. In Massachusetts, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline are among those that allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining right through the winter. In some places pedestrians shop at outdoor food markets throughout the cold season. The Popportunity Winter Market in Cambridge features pop-up “mini storefronts,” with small businesses of various types.
Dozens of other concepts for cold-weather outdoor urban activities are featured in “Winter Places,” a guide produced by Patronicity, a community improvement organization based in Detroit. The group imagines open-air shelters that double as Wi-Fi hot spots, hothouse igloos, and pedal power stations, at which visitors ride stationary bicycles that are used to power lighted art installations, or maybe even a carousel, while keeping their riders warm.
Ideally, the winter place-making idea will serve less-affluent urban neighborhoods too, as part of the “15-minute city” concept being adopted around the world. It seeks, among other goals, to provide closer access to shopping and better walkability.
Opening up these winter amenities to everyone, not just affluent neighborhoods, adds to the challenge. Children who don’t own a warm winter coat can hardly be expected to spend hours playing outdoors. Warming huts or igloos set up for a brief rest or a hot drink may turn into ad hoc homeless shelters. Confronting these issues as part of place-making efforts can help raise awareness and open paths toward solutions.
This winter most place-making projects should be considered a form of “tactical urbanism,” low-cost experiments to test what works and what doesn’t. But if successful, the concept may have a future in cities long after the pandemic departs.