WPA led Norfolk’s pandemic recovery initiative, OpenNorfolk, a program designed to support the city’s most vulnerable residents and businesses by helping them reopen safely and quickly. The effort was particularly challenging due to ever-changing executive orders from the governor’s office in response to fluctuating COVID-19 case numbers. It required a collaborative team of designers, community partners, politicians, and health officials to embrace a culture of getting to “YES” quickly.
OpenNorfolk’s goal was “Healthy Businesses Together, Healthy Transportation, Healthy Creative Culture, and Recreation Opportunities.”
The initiative had citywide benefits, aiding pandemic relief and recovery in three key areas:
- Parklets, Streateries, and Outdoor Dining
- Streetscape Changes Prioritizing Pedestrians
- Neighborhood Spots to Build Community Capacity
Supporting Local Businesses
The top priority was relief and recovery for Norfolk’s restaurants and small businesses. The team designed custom signage to support physical distancing and created an easy-to-understand, illustrated guide interpreting the governor’s executive orders. WPA produced OpenNorfolk signs, and volunteers distributed them to more than 500 restaurantsacross the city. The signs mandated mask use and promoted fun, alternative greetings to replace handshakes. Public health signs—translated into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese—ensured accessibility for Norfolk’s diverse communities. Volunteers also chalk-painted distancing reminders throughout business corridors.
The OpenNorfolk team built more than 20,000 square feet of custom parklets on pedestrian-focused commercial streets, providing safe, ADA-compliant outdoor dining areas. These spaces were outfitted with planters, handmade stanchions, ropes, pennants, and string lights. The team transformed parking lots into inviting places for people, delivering over $100,000 in outdoor patio furniture to restaurants in need.
As parking spaces were repurposed for dining, the team initiated four major road diets, reducing traffic speeds from an average of 47 mph to 25 mph. Printable signage and blanket permits were provided to allow residents to temporarily close neighborhood streets for recreation, learning, arts, and cultural activities.
As colder weather approached, OpenNorfolk collaborated with the Building Official, Fire Marshal, and Right-of-Way Permitting Department to develop long-term outdoor dining guidelines. A series of virtual meetings educated restaurant and brewery owners on fire codes and best practices for safely combining tents, heaters, and fire pits. The team procured and distributed 208 electric heaters (producing no greenhouse gases) and provided on-call electricians and builders for technical support.
Additionally, OpenNorfolk designed permanent Streateries and developed a citywide Streatery guideline, offering DIY, off-the-shelf, and custom build instructions.
Neighborhood Spots: Bringing Communities Together
Among OpenNorfolk’s most rewarding aspects were four Neighborhood Spots, each designed to reflect its community’s unique character. In response to the economic downturn, which resulted in the furlough of 500 city employees and $40 million in budget cuts, many recreation centers and public libraries were forced to close. To address this gap, the team designed and built two pop-up parks in just one week.
By hiring local residents, the initiative generated over $150,000 in volunteer labor, resulting in three fully programmed parks that combined arts, community markets, entrepreneur support, public health resources, and education. These spaces gave local artists and musicians a platform to uplift the community while sustaining their own livelihoods. Dozens of new businesses were launched, empowering residents and fostering a renewed sense of hope.
National Recognition & Impact
Norfolk led the region as the only city with a coordinated recovery initiative following the extended lockdown. OpenNorfolk’s success was nationally recognized when DoorDash, in partnership with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association, awarded the city a pandemic recovery grant. WPA also collaborated with Yard + Co. and Team Better Block to execute the initiative.
Key Outcomes
- 70% of aid funding went to minority- and women-owned businesses.
- Neighborhood ambassadors were hired at more than twice the minimum wage, ensuring that community spaces were designed and programmed by the people they served.
- Public health efforts were strengthened through partnerships with EVMS, Old Dominion University’s School of Nursing, and local healthcare providers.
- A collaboration with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia distributed 32,509 pounds of food, including 19,598 pounds of fresh produce, reaching 1,486 children, 1,475 adults, and 645 seniors.
- A partnership with the Bloomberg Foundation and Black artists—including Mensah Bey and Clayton Singleton—resulted in public murals that celebrated cultural identity and social justice.
Accessibility, pedestrian safety, and environmental resilience were prioritized throughout the initiative. Streateries were designed for quick disassembly in case of severe weather events such as Nor’easters and hurricanes.
Voices from the Community
“I am amazed at how OpenNorfolk has brought our neighborhood together in a space where most people probably wouldn’t have thought community gatherings would ever happen. From Food Truck Fridays to Plant Swaps and support from our local food bank with gifts of produce, our neighborhood has been able to gather, eat, laugh, shop, and mingle during a time when relying on our community is needed most. Thanks to OpenNorfolk’s Plant Swap (where I bought my first Monstera plant), I started building plant stands, which has grown into my own small business fueled by the rapidly growing local plant communities.”
— Renee Dewey, ReDew Design
“The key to OpenNorfolk has been the agility of breaking down barriers to both rapid ideation and rapid implementation by our commitment to get to ‘YES we can’ throughout the entirety of Norfolk. The whole-of-government, whole-of-community approach was essential to success.”
— George M. Homewood, FAICP CFM, Director of City Planning, City of Norfolk
