The Power of Public Space in the Digital Age

Public space has served as a focal point for communities, places of interaction and exchange. But what happens to these places when people have turned their attention to the digital world, when we can connect with products, people and information without needing to use these spaces at all? When the global pandemic necessitates that we keep our distance and not connect, is there a hope of communities ever coming together again? How can architects design spaces that have the power to build, sustain and forge communities during a pandemic?