Winter Spaces Contest Aims To Make Downtowns Appealing In Colder Months

The coronavirus pandemic has been a financial disaster for many businesses — particularly as the weather's grown colder, with foot traffic down and public health officials warnings to avoid indoor spaces. Enter the Winter Places competition.

The contest was launched in July by Bench Consulting and solicited 65 entries, each with proposals to revitalize the country's main streets for winter — think fire pits, warming huts, outdoor lights and movies, and more. A number of towns have already started implementing them.

Host Robin Young talks to Jonathan Berk, creative director at Bench Consulting, about the ideas and the inspiration behind them.