Case Study: Capacity Management 
for Shared Urban Spaces

COVID-19 raised the stakes for managing shared spaces, but the importance of proactive capacity management predates the coronavirus and is certain to outlive it. Successfully reopening the public realm required technology, design, and policy solutions as well as strong communications and engagement to enable informed, responsible choices.

These reopenings posed unique challenges to complex, shared, urban spaces such as conference centers and entertainment venues. While tightly controlled private facilities can implement sophisticated controls, procedures, and requirements, shared public and semi-public spaces often face stricter resource constraints and higher public expectations.

Using Navy Pier as a testbed, City Tech Collaborative, together with Navy Pier, NTT, SDI Presence, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Intel, demonstrated how a combination of high- and low-tech solutions can manage capacity of shared urban spaces. Taking a data-driven approach, the team developed physical and operational design changes and requirements for flexible trip planning tools that improve visitors’ experiences, maintain safety, and increase businesses’ resilience in the face of future disruptions.
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