Getty Images (top center, bottom left and right); Shutterstock (top left and right; bottom center)

Give people room to create, and things start to get interesting. A couple nights ago, like many nights during the pandemic, I went on a bike ride around Brooklyn ? down the same streets I always do. Just a few weeks ago, they were deserted, but now they?re lively and filled with new additions to the built environment: so-called ?streateries? comprised of planters, vibrantly painted sheets of plywood, jersey barriers, picket fencing, cinder blocks, trellises, and all sorts of materials that someone could scrounge up at a hardware store in a pinch.
These parking spaces turned outdoor restaurants are New York?s latest examples of COVID-19-inspired improvisational architecture ? evidence of resourcefulness and creativity with limited means. They also hint at what the post-pandemic future might hold: a city life that?s more aesthetically vibrant.
Jose A. Rios (top left, top center); Diana Budds (top right, bottom row)
Since New York City allowed ?streateries? as part of reopening, restaurants have been busy building outdoor dining areas. While the city made some rules for what these spaces should look like, businesses have taken creative license. Surprisingly a few recurring themes emerged. Colorblocking is one of them.

I personally don?t feel comfortable eating in any of the open restaurants yet, given the spread of COVID-19 is still an issue. ...