疫情下的空間轉用｜Transformation in the Pandemic
疫情肆虐，政府呼籲居家抗疫、減少外遊，不少食肆都決定提早關門，當中包括通宵營業的麥當勞。防止疫情蔓延的措施，卻令其他社會問題更趨惡化：依賴麥當勞作為晚上落腳點的「麥難民」變相無家可歸，被逼流落街頭；同時，旅客減少，也令酒店業經營艱難。慈善機構Impact HK看到兩者所需，於是發起眾籌，再連繫多間小型酒店，迅速安頓好麥難民，達致雙贏。
在疫情下，社會需要面對一大改變，不止香港，國際間不少「吉人」發揮創意，改變一貫對空間使用的想像，不單可以幫助社會，還可以藉此自救，度過難關。在日本，有餐廳(京都神泉苑平八)在停業期間變身自修室，開放予區內小學生，為他們的在職父母減輕壓力； 名古屋亦有商店街騰出閒置空間，與商店合作，為小學生舉辦各種工作坊。
英國快餐連鎖店Leon的創辦人John Vincent，甚至作出有系統性的改變，帶動整個行業重整資源——他目睹大批人群搶購糧食、超級巿場的貨架被一掃而空；不少餐廳有充足的人手和食物，但因為沒有食客光顧而面臨倒閉。John Vincent認為，餐廳在城巿裏肩負提供食物的責任，超巿與餐廳如今出現失衡，於是他把連鎖店臨時變陣為迷你超巿，出售餐廳預製菜式、肉類及其他食品雜貨，一來補足超巿食物供不應求的狀況，二來也為餐廳滯銷的糧食儲備尋找出路。
Leon的舉措，瞬間為人所知，更引來醫護前來求助。如今，John Vincent除了改變店舖空間的使用方式，甚至更有系統地整合產業的資源，連結多間食物供應商、物流公司，每天把因為疫情而滯銷的食物，製成飯盒免費派送給醫護前線。
回看我們身邊的資源，您也可以發揮力量，成為「吉人」。將空間、時間、功能重新轉換，定下新定義，讓新定義來解決當刻社會問題。
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Hong Kong citizens are encouraged to stay home with the exception of essential needs, some restaurants including Mcdonalds have suspended their dinner service subsequently. Tough measures as such aimed to stop the alarming surge in coronavirus cases, but simultaneously put the vulnerable ‘McRefugees’ back on streets. In addition, Hong Kong’s hotel industry is in the epicentre of the tourism slump as occupancy rates drop below the level of SARS. ImpactHK, a registered NGO, has initiated a crowdfunding project to connect small scale hotels and ‘McRefugees’ to ‘save two birds with one stone’.
The world has been pushed by the pandemic for a paradigm shift. Besides Hong Kong. there are ‘GUTSMAN’ overseas who are exercising their creativity to redefine spaces to get through the difficult times. In Japan, restaurants (including
Kyoto Shinsenen Heihachi) that have temporarily stopped operating have turned into study rooms for primary students, releasing the stress of families with parents both working from home. A shopping street in Nagoya even made use of free spaces to organize workshops for kids in collaboration with different stores.
In the UK, fast food chain Leon has made a systemic change in their business to reorganize resources in supermarket and restaurants. John Vincent, the founder and CEO of the fast food chain, decided to turn their restaurants into mini-supermarkets for selling ready-made dishes, meat and grocery. To John Vincent, a restaurant has a mission to provide food in the city. After noticing that restaurants are full of food with empty seats, and supermarkets are full of shoppers but with empty shelves, John Vincent decided to make this visionary move to release the pressure of food shortage in supermarkets, and provide a way out for the restaurants.
Later, John Vincent even brought this project to the next level. He brought in other restaurants, food distributors and suppliers together to deliver free daily hot meals to NHS frontline medical staff. This is a win-win situation as there were direct requests from NHS staff and families for help in getting food, while some suppliers are stocked up with food that cannot be sold out during the lockdown.
With imagination and creativity, new opportunities and solutions will evolve through reorganizing space, time and function. Let’s be the next GUTSMAN and spark up new ideas in the society during the pandemic!
相片來源：網上圖片
Photos source: Internet
Location: Hong Kong, Japan, UK
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