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As an underlying entity in the discourses of privatisation of space, urban security and fear, boundary walls are considered as an impediment to the publicness of public spaces. But, the inevitability and potential of their physical attributes and functions is indicative of the lack of systemic knowledge on how to approach boundary walls, so that they contribute positively to the quality of urban spaces. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Since boundary walls are constitutive of physical attributes that are embedded with multiple functions, the contribution of physical boundaries is premised on the interaction between objective and subjective measurements, explored in positive and ambiguous space types. In this study, the quality of physical boundaries is measured by an index and the perceived functions of the physical attributes of boundary walls are measured by a questionnaire survey.

This study found that positive and ambiguous space types not only affect the quality of physical boundaries but also the perceived functions of the physical attributes of boundary walls. Further, social and visual functions of boundary walls play a significant role in contributing positively to the quality of urban spaces.

By exploring the relation between quality of physical boundaries and their perceived functions, this study extends the meta-understanding of the role of boundary walls.

In this study, an interdisciplinary research team at a Midwest US University collaborated with a local county to co-envision interior design strategies for five county buildings: three libraries and two government buildings to reduce in-person contact in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authors' interdisciplinary team used a community-based participatory design process which focused on creating consensus, while seeking out divergent perspectives among stakeholders to serve the needs of diverse users. The design process involved meetings with stakeholders remotely and analyzing survey results from the target occupants collected by the county.

The county with a population of 550,321 is the second most populous and diverse county in the state. The authors' collaborative efforts resulted in short-and long-term recommendations for the interior space planning to promote health, safety, and well-being for the county's diverse user groups of young children, adults, elderly and vulnerable populations. The short-term recommendations focus on service redesigns that can be implemented as the state shifts out of the stay-at-home order and the community returns to the county's public-facing buildings. The long-term recommendations focus on experiences and design strategies that can be carried forward to future-proof buildings in a post-COVID era and provide models for other counties.

One limitation is the dynamic nature of how rapidly our team responded to a critical need in the community to develop tangible interior design solutions during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic for the county. The solutions we proposed were based on the scientific evidence available earlier on during that phase of the pandemic. The authors hope to conduct further studies in the future and conduct assessments of our rapid design responses.

This paper documents a dynamic experience during a once in a lifetime pandemic and thus contributes to further the body of knowledge about the role of interior design in shaping health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article presents a timely interdisciplinary response to the COVID-19 pandemic to promote community safety inside public buildings at the county. The interior design solutions reflected intensive literature reviews, critical space planning, innovative use of lighting, and thoughtful furniture/material selections.