SPACE PADS: PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIP
Space Pad installations at PHA Sites, May 2, 2020
Collaborators:
Philadelphia Department of Public HealthLocation:
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRegion:
Genre/Discipline:
Community artsPopulation Density:
UrbanLarge Intended Impact Area:
County/Multi-County RegionFoundations:
OVERVIEW
Mural Arts’ innovative Space Pads Project, which pairs local artists with practical public health messaging, is helping people keep their distance.
Partnering with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Space Pads can now be found at public gathering places like food distribution sites to ensure everyone maintains the six-foot distance recommended by medical experts.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project includes creative vinyl floor decals and posters, signs, and other materials that can go in businesses, food distribution sites, and public spaces – including six Philadelphia Housing Authority sites – locations that still receive lots of foot traffic and could use help reminding people that the best thing we can do to keep everyone healthy is to not get too close to each other.
Mural Arts has started piloting this work in supermarkets, as well as partnering with other City departments, and the funding from PDPH can cover approximately 80 locations.
This project was scaled up with support from the Partnership for Healthy Cities. The Partnership for Health Cities is a global network of 70 cities that has shifted and expanded its scope of work—from a focus on preventing NCDs and injuries—to immediate assistance in the urban response to COVID-19. The Partnership’s COVID-19 Response is part of the $40 million Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID-19 Global Response Initiative. By collaborating with the WHO and Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, the Partnership’s COVID-19 Response is working hand-in-hand with the world’s leading experts on epidemic prevention.