The Shared Spaces program: a crisis-driven experiment that could permanently change San Francisco's urban landscape

As the U.S attempts to reopen, restaurant owners from California to Florida are expanding their restaurants into nearby outdoor space, including sidewalks and parking lots. In doing so, they are able to offer patrons a safer dining environment, as there is more room to keep tables further apart and follow social distancing precautions, and it also helps restaurants earn more revenue than if they were limited to indoor space. Some city governments are streamlining the process, including Brookhaven, Georgia, which made it free to access short-term permits for outdoor dining.

Environmental design interventions in Philadelphia (which include LED streetlight upgrades, vacant lot cleanups, community gardens, and planter installations) have contributed to measurable reductions in gun violence (including a 21% drop in nighttime gun violence after streetlight upgrades and a 39% decrease in gun crimes near remediated buildings). These interventions have also fostered community bonds and strengthened feelings of safety.

Multiple organizations in Philadelphia are joining forces, such as The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the new Office of Clean and Green, to transform the city’s several thousand vacant lots into green spaces. Even Temple University has executed a new "Verdant Temple" master plan, creating specific green spaces for the public. A University of Pennsylvania study found a 29% reduction in gun violence in neighborhoods where vacant lots were cleaned and restored, and the city is investing nearly $20 million annually in these efforts.

Sacramento’s Cannabis Opportunity and Racial Equity program is helping people who were adversely affected by discrimination during America’s war on drugs to start businesses in the regulated cannabis industry. Qualifying entrepreneurs receive wraparound support including funding and small-business education. So far, 10 dispensary licenses have been awarded to participants.

Philly Community Wireless addresses the digital divide in the area by developing a community-owned, Wi-Fi mesh network. The community-owned structure means the network doesn’t rely on power lines or subscribers but instead runs on partnerships and grants, providing people with free internet access. Antennas for the network can broadcast within a 100 to 200-foot radius and there are currently 30 Wi-Fi access points throughout the city.

The federally-funded Community Violence Intervention Collaborative provided funding, training, and technical assistance to community violence intervention programs nationwide. Each program uses the assistance to target needs specific to its community.

Restaurants in Providence, Rhode Island are "repurposing parking lots, waterfronts, and any adjacent land where an al fresco meal can be savored, public health preserved, and restaurant profits protected" during the coronavirus pandemic. Collaborative efforts by various elected officials, health officials, and emergency responders are making the idea to repurpose outdoor areas feasible, and some restaurants have already projected a significant success in profits.

Because they have the appropriate ingredients and facilities, Deep Ellum Distillery is making hand santizer and offering it for free to anyone who needs it. They are also endorsing people to order food to-go in order to support other local restaurants during the pandemic. Distilleries across the country are doing the same thing to help out their neighbors.

In Memphis, a creative blight-reduction initiative called 25 Square Blocks broke down the city into blocks. Inspectors were able to quickly identify all the violations and fix them, using the same amount of funding, but less time, as the old call-and-respond model.

Richmond's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention use credible messengers, targeted intervention, and coordinated city infrastructure to interrupt cyclical gun violence. These tactics helped both cities achieve record-low homicides in 2025, with Richmond so successful it may no longer qualify for state violence-reduction grants.