New tile paving for footpaths for social distancing

The situation of Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) makes social isolation the best results to fight the pandemic and changes behaviors for all people. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), the virus can spread from infected people when they cough, sneeze, talk, sing, or even breathe heavily. It is easy to catch the virus when it gets into humans’ mouth, nose, or eyes, which is usually happen when people are in direct or close contact with an infected person. Thus, social distancing, which refers to maintaining physical space of at least one meter from the nearest person, has been effective in slowing down the spread of COVID-19.

Even though people must make one-meter invisible bubble in public, related to the theory “Proxemics”, one meter can be a good personal distance for interactions among good friends or family (Far phase – 76 to 122 cm.). Developing nuanced solutions to a variety of public space is critical while keeping people safe. In reality, not everyone can measure one meter by eyes in public. It will be good if all footpath in big cities hit by coronavirus can be redesigned to include one meter measurement for social distancing.

Footpaths should provide comfort, continuity, and safety for walking. From the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the clear width must be at least 1.8 m to accommodate two wheelchair users at the same time and must not have any obstructions. Braille Block should be laid along the length of the footpath to help persons with visual impairment.

Terracotta paver blocks 20 cm. x 20 cm. in size in two visibly different colors is created to propose new footpath design for staying in the new normal in public. It can be laid in straight stack bond pattern or running bond pattern as pictures below to make spots on footpaths for safe distancing. Terracotta brick pavers are not only durable, slip resistant, and environmentally friendly, but they can also maintain their color permanently throughout the product. Bright color is also a good choice to apply on the spotted blocks for people with color vision deficiency. Moreover, these new pattern pathways can create a social distancing symbol in public.

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