COVIDesign
location: Montreal, Canada
client: City of Montreal
The Challenge
Following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, the Design Office of the City’s Economic Development Department launched the multidisciplinary applied research project COVIDesign. The aim was to identify and implement emergency measures to support businesses during the pandemic and to facilitate their subsequent recovery.
The Response
More than twenty experts collaborated on rethinking spatial planning and service design for retail businesses, restaurants, and the food sector, with a focus on resilience and reducing the economic, social, and environmental impacts associated with the pandemic.
In this context, LAAB developed concrete emergency solutions to support merchants: temporary outdoor queuing systems, redesigned storefront layouts, as well as modules to be installed along the street to stimulate activity and promote economic recovery.
This collaborative approach led to the development of a planning and design guide, presented below.
