Emotions are also at the core of the effective white circles now used across New York City’s parks to mark social distancing. Domino Park’s director Mike Lampariello, who came up with the white-circle idea, says that visitors have been appreciative of the markings, and understood intuitively how to use them from the start. According to Krishna, that’s due to the feeling of safety the circles convey. “A circle marks a private space that others will not cross,” she explains. “People can feel safe and cocooned within it.”
