Of all the media images that the Covid-19 crisis has generated in recent weeks, it is the city devoid of crowds that has perhaps been the most affecting. It doesn’t matter whether it’s New York, or Rome or London — it is the empty public space that most clearly signifies something is wrong. There ought to be crowds, and there aren’t. It is the classic horror movie trope. Closer to home, it is what most disturbs and compels us about contemporary Detroit — except we are all Detroiters now.
Photo: In Barcelona, under the guidance of Oriol Bohigas in the 1980’s the city built or remade some 160 public spaces. The Parc de Joan Miro featuring the Dona i ocell statue was one of them. Credit:Tony Marshall/PA Images, via Getty Images