In this plague, we must learn to play alone in our parks | Inga Saffron

Our parks and public spaces have a long history serving us in times of crisis. When the AIDS epidemic was at its most intense, parks were where people gathered to suture together their memorial quilts, recalled Charles A. Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group. After 9/11, we rallied together in parks and squares to hold vigils for the victims, hugging strangers as a way of expressing solidarity.