As we’ve passed the one-month mark of working from home, cities have begun to wrestle with the need for social distancing while permitting active transportation and recreation. Cities across the US have taken advantage of decreased vehicular traffic to open some streets. Oakland, California’s Slow Streets program has taken the most ambitious action so far by “soft closing” 74 miles of city roads. Meanwhile in DC, Mayor Bowser told us to keep six feet apart after reluctantly opening small stretches of roads. But just how possible is it to keep six feet apart on DC sidewalks? I did some investigating with data available for Ward 6, where I live.
Today marks one week since DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a formal stay-at-home order for District residents on Monday, March 30, 2020. By that point, many residents had already been working from home since mid-March. Given that we can assume a reduction in travel demand because of these work and travel constraints, I was curious to see if and how the DC region’s air quality might be impacted.
Last weekend was Peak Bloom here in DC, the time of the year when the most Cherry Blossoms are visible. It also marked the completion of the first full week of full-time working from home and the policy of social distancing. I thought about all the people that might want to flock to the Tidal Basin and felt inspired to develop a map that those practicing social distancing might use to view some of the Cherry Blossoms throughout the city.