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This paper explores the response of Athens, Greece, to the Covid-19 pandemic in relation to its un(der)documented immigrant populations. It argues that both the national and local levels of governance exhibited a "paradigmatic pragmatism" in their approach to the crisis. The study employs an interpretivist lens and utilises qualitative in-depth interviews and document reviews. By examining Athens as a case study, the paper highlights the significance of the urban scale in migration policies, emphasising the role of governance models, past migration experiences, and civil society. The development of a parallel vaccination program for un(der)documented immigrants is examined as a notable example of the pragmatism of both governance levels and local citizenship practice. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of local-level immigrant policies and the role of cities in the context of citizenship politics. By drawing lessons from major crises like the pandemic, it aims to inform the development of more inclusive migrant policies and effective governance structures while promoting new perspectives on membership, such as local citizenship. • Analysing Athens' pandemic response for local-level immigrant policy insights. • The vaccination program for the un(der)documented as an exemplification of local citizenship • Athens' case reveals the significance of the urban scale in migration policies. • Governance models, local experiences and civil society shaped Athens' response. • Both national and local levels showcased a 'paradigmatic pragmatist' attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contends that the covid-19 pandemic has reconfigured how cities manage urban marginality within Zimbabwe. The pandemic enabled cities to push everyday mundane practices away from the centre of the city to the margins of the cities through securitisation and criminalising informal activities within the centre. The paper's methodological underpinnings are hinged on a six month ethnography within Bulawayo (Zimbabwe's second largest city). The paper maintains the view that managing urban marginality in the context of covid-19 must be framed within the binary of two opposing forces – governing institutions (the government and municipality) and the low-income residents. Using covid-19 as a pretext of "curbing the pandemic" governing institutions have pushed informal economic activities from the centre through employing law and force; on the other hand low-income residents have found eclectic means to counteract the measures imposed to constrain their agency. Finally, the paper suggests that covid-19 has reconfigured how cities manage urban marginality through pushing everyday informal practices to the periphery and how the low-income residents deploy their agency to counteract confinement hence managing urban marginality can be understood as a two-way process involving governing institutions and the low-income residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 raised critical questions about the functionalities of urban infrastructures, and in particular, practices of food provision, consumption and distribution. This paper focuses on the actions of non-commercial collaborative food sharing practices in Dublin city, incorporating surplus food redistribution initiatives, community kitchens, and community gardens, during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Whilst initially curtailed under conditions of strict lockdowns, many of these food sharing initiatives became characterised as essential services as the crisis unfolded, offering infrastructures of mobility, accessibility and care. Focusing on urban food infrastructures, qualitative content analysis of online media debates around food sharing in Dublin during this period was conducted to explore how non-commercial food sharing initiatives have been affected by, and responded to, the COVID-19 outbreak in Dublin. The paper analyses forms of improvisation, institionalisation and impact that emerged through food sharing actions and reflects on whether food sharing initiatives prefigure more sustainable urban food systems. • Demonstrates how food sharing initiatives have been affected by, and responded to, the COVID-19 outbreak in Dublin, Ireland • Contributes to the research on critical urban infrastructures and food infrastructures in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 caused unprecedented disruptions to public transport services. As such, this paper proposes a methodology for analyzing COVID-19 impact on public transport mobility. The proposed methodology includes: (1) a new unsupervised machine learning (UML) method, which utilizes a decoder-encoder architecture and a flow property-based learning objective function, to estimate the origin-destination (OD) flows of public transport systems from boarding-alighting data; and (2) a temporal-spatial analysis method to analyze OD flow change before and during COVID-19 to unveil its impact on mobility across time and space. The validation of the UML method showed that it achieved a coefficient of determination of 0.836 when estimating OD flows using boarding-alighting data. Upon the successful validation, the proposed methodology was implemented to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the mobility of the New York City subway system. The implementation results indicate that (1) the rise in the number of weekly new COVID-19 cases intensified the impact on the public transport mobility, but not as strongly as public health interventions; and (2) the inflows to and outflows from the center of the city were more sensitive to the impact of COVID-19. • A new methodology for analyzing COVID-19 impact on public transport mobility. • It includes a proposed unsupervised ML method to estimate public transport system OD flows from boarding-alighting data. • It includes a temporal-spatial analysis method to analyze OD flow changes before and during COVID-19. • The proposed methodology was implemented in analyzing COVID-19 impact in the New York City area. • The methodology could support analyzing the impact of natural disasters on public transport mobility across time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to significant changes in travel behaviour and public activities, and they might have contributed to changes in residential location choices. However, research examining the relationship between residential location choice and COVID-19 is very limited. To that end, this paper focuses on how pandemic-induced changes in work patterns, travel preferences and daily activity patterns have altered residential preferences and potentially, relocation trends. The main determinants of residential location choice have been established in the literature over the past 30 years: physical attributes of the dwelling; surrounding built environment; affordability; and accessibility to transportation, workplaces, and services. However, each of these determinants are prioritised differently depending on the circumstances. Therefore, exploring how these priorities have shifted after the pandemic can pave the way for understanding how preferences for residential location choice shift as a consequence. From the review, the key findings include the decreasing importance of transport and workplace accessibility in residential location choice after the pandemic. Firstly, teleworking is becoming more prevalent within office jobs than before the pandemic, leading to less frequent trips to conventional workplaces, reducing the need to live within a commutable distance to a workplace. Secondly, trips to other activities have likewise become less frequent due to either remote alternatives (e.g., online shopping) or shifting towards services closer to home, reducing the need to travel in general. Another consequence of the pandemic is people staying at home longer than before, thus increasing the need for more desirable dwelling attributes such as larger house size and wider surrounding green space. Since these attributes are generally more affordable in areas less accessible to transport and services, this may subsequently lead to migrations to areas of lower population density, potentially decentralising urban areas. • Long-term teleworking has reduced the need to live near the workplace post-pandemic. • Residential preferences shift towards desirable dwellings at affordable prices. • Prevalence of online shopping has led to permanent changes in retail destinations. • Transport preference inclines towards car dependency over sustainable modes. • Overall findings suggest a potential shift towards urban decentralisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As pointed out by some scholars, the public response to homelessness and poverty changed dramatically with the pandemic (Parsell et al., 2020) as public stakeholders decided to spend additional fundings for homelessness and poverty policies. However, these interventions were often thought of as a means to reduce the threat to the health of the non-homeless population (Parsell et al., 2020) and were led by local governments which remain reluctant to provide the necessary resources for ending homelessness (Evans et al., 2021). As these public interventions were insufficient and took a long time to be implemented, grassroots organizations were often at the forefront of the crisis for providing resources to the most marginalized people. Drawing on this basis, this paper aims at understanding the role taken by a grassroots organization in Rennes (a medium-sized city in France) during the pandemic. I focus on a local grassroots organization which worked independently of the state and developed informal practices to deliver food to people experiencing homelessness and food insecure households. In this perspective, they managed to compete with professional and state-funded service providers and the pandemic shed light on the efficiency of their practices, based on unconditionality and empowerment. Through observant participation and interviews with the grassroots organization's managers, volunteers and public stakeholders, I argue that, during the pandemic, this grassroots organization was not only a "buffer to state absence and neglect" (De Verteuil, 2017, p.1518), but it also managed to put forward some of their claims, hence challenging the "reticent state" (Evans et al., 2021) and steering public policies into more compassionate ways to address food insecurity. • Coeurs Résistants , a grassroots organization located in Rennes (France), managed to subvert neoliberal welfare practices based on imposing access conditions, by itself providing food without conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. • The crisis was an opportunity for this organization to influence the municipal government and local stakeholders to move away from national government requirements, for promoting unconditionality in food provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-commuting travel is essential for people to meet daily demands and regulate mental health, which is greatly disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore non-commuting intentions during COVID-19 across different groups of residents, this paper uses online survey data in Nanjing and constructs a hybrid latent class choice model that combines sociodemographic characteristics and psychological factors. Results showed that the respondents can be divided into two groups: the "cautious" group versus the "fearless" group. The "cautious" group with lower willingness to travel tend to be older, higher-income, higher-educated, female and full-time employees. Furthermore, the "cautious" group with higher perceived susceptibility is more obedient to government policies. In contrast, the "fearless" group is significantly affected by perceived severity and is more inclined to turn to personal protection against the pandemic. These results suggested that non-commuting trips were influenced not only by individual characteristics but also by psychological factors. Finally, the paper provides implications for the government to formulate COVID-19 management measures for the heterogeneity of different groups. • Using a hybrid choice model to explore residents' non-commuting travel intentions during COVID-19 outbreaks. • Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility had significant effects on non-commuting travel. • Separating residents into cautious group and fearless group based on a latent class approach. • In cautious group, those less willing to travel are older, higher paid, higher educated, female and full-time employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc worldwide. To mitigate the spread of the virus, societies around the world implemented various social control measures and restrictions on mobility. Traditional work practices were upended, leading to a widespread adoption of telecommuting in many cities, effectively turning urban spaces into expansive work-from-home laboratories. The exchange of digitized documents, virtual conversations, and online transactions replaced physical movements and face-to-face communication, allowing for the continuation of productive activities. This shift to telecommuting raises important questions about the impact on traditional business practices and power dynamics in the workplace. It also prompts us to examine how new communication and surveillance tools facilitate collaboration and enhance worker productivity. Furthermore, it is essential to understand how employees navigate and adapt to the opportunities and limitations presented in a teleworking environment. To gain insights into these issues, this paper focuses on the experiences of work-from-home employees in the community of Tin Shui Wai in Hong Kong, using the concept of governmobility as an analytical framework. The findings reveal that telecommuting is enabled by innovative social interaction mechanisms, changes in power dynamics, and the implementation of new discourse and surveillance methods, all of which are contingent on specific work and life conditions. The various experiences of telecommuting, such as working in a home office, in virtual workspaces, and using on-body devices, demonstrate adaptable responses to the emerging opportunities and constraints of telecommuting. These experiences illuminate the intricate ways in which work and life intertwine in both physical and temporal dimensions. • Exploring the mechanisms of governmobility in telecommuting during the Covid-19 pandemic. • Theorizing diverse telecommuting practices and experiences. • Discussing the prospects of telecommuting in the post-Covid world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that intersectionality can benefit the study of migrant urban citizenship and that migrants' legal status affects their potential for urban citizenships. These arguments are based on life story interviews I conducted with Mongolian labour migrant women (both documented and undocumented) living and working in Seoul during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from this data, I first discuss the mutual relationship between COVID-19 regulations and the specific urban spaces they affected, and second, how migrant women navigated this relationship. In practice, I categorise these pandemic-driven experiences into three specific types of spaces – spaces of escape , spaces of fear , and spaces of (potential) discrimination – which I analyse through the lenses of gender, class, and racialisation. In conclusion, I call for future research on migrant urban citizenship to critically consider the role of legal status in migrants' embodied processes of urban citizenship-making and investigate how underlying structural social and power relations shape these embodied processes. Reformulating the concept of urban citizenship in a way that explicitly informs policy making and fosters migrants' embodied experiences of urban citizenship is also needed. • Intersectionality can benefit the study of migrant urban citizenship. • Migrants' legal status affects their potential for urban citizenship. • COVID-19 regulations transformed urban spaces in Seoul into spaces of escape, fear, or discrimination. • Migrant urban citizenship needs to be reconceptualised into a policy-oriented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically tests for causal relationships between occupational polarization, shifting housing market preferences, and inner-suburban decline in the City of Toronto prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis used variables from the 1981 and 2016 Censuses to conduct a cluster analysis that illustrates the potential relationships between occupational shifts, shifting housing market preferences, and inner-suburban decline. I then conducted an OLS regression analysis to determine causal relationships among the three processes. The results indicated that occupational polarization is the stronger determinant of inner-suburban decline in comparison to shifting housing market preferences. Furthermore, I determined that neighbourhoods with higher proportions of professionals are declining relative to neighbourhoods with higher proportions of workers in the finance, insurance, and real estate occupations. Socio-spatial restructuring and decline in the inner suburbs are increasingly characterized by an emergent form of occupational polarization that entails the bifurcation of occupations between those neighbourhoods that are more connected to the circulation and (re)production of glocal financial networks vs. those that are not. • Inner-suburban decline results in a diverse, polarized neighbourhood typology. • Occupational shifts are a strong determinant of neighbourhood decline. • Shifting housing market preferences also drive decline, but to a lesser extent. • Professional neighbourhoods are declining in relative terms to FIRE-predominant neighbourhoods. • The professionalization of neighborhood decline is influencing the growth of spatial inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, which lasted for three years, has had a great impact on the public health system, society and economy of cities, revealing the insufficiency of urban resilience under large-scale public health events (PHEs). Given that a city is a networked and multidimensional system with complex interactions, it is helpful to improve urban resilience under PHEs based on system thinking. Therefore, this paper proposes a dynamic and systematic urban resilience framework that incorporates four subsystems (governance, infrastructures, socioeconomy and energy-material flows). The composite index, system dynamics and epidemic simulation model are integrated into the framework to show the nonlinear relationships in the urban system and reflect the changing trend of urban resilience under PHEs. Then, urban resilience under different epidemic scenarios and response policy scenarios is calculated and discussed to provide some suggestions for decision-makers when faced with the trade-off between the control of PHEs and the maintenance of city operation. The paper concludes that control policies could be adjusted according to the characteristics of PHEs; strict control policies under a severe epidemic could lead to a significant decrease in urban resilience, while a more flexible control strategy can be adopted under a mild epidemic scenario to ensure the normal operation of urban functions. Moreover, the critical functions and impact factors of each subsystem are identified. • This paper provides a dynamic and inclusive resilience assessment framework for cities during the pandemic • The urban resilience under different epidemic scenarios and response policy scenarios are quantified • The dynamic-zero policies can control the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the negative effects on urban socioeconomic systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on urban and regional food systems. Local administrations worldwide have been challenged to design and implement policies to mitigate immediate food system disruptions while planning for longer-term equity and resilience. The fast pace and high degree of uncertainty of the pandemic have made systematic tracking and assessment of food system change and related policy responses arduous. To address this gap, this paper applies the multilevel perspective on sociotechnical transitions and the multiple streams framework on policy change to 16 months of food policy (March 2020 through June 2021) during the New York State-issued COVID-19 state of emergency, comprising more than 300 food policies advanced by New York City and State legislators and administrators. Content analysis of these policies revealed the most salient policy areas during this period, the status of legislation, and key programs and budget allocations, as well as local food governance and the organizational spaces within which food policy operates. The paper shows that food policy domains that gained prominence focused on support for food businesses and food workers and on ensuring and expanding food access through food security and nutrition policies. Most COVID-19 food policies were incremental and were limited to the duration of the emergency, yet the crisis allowed for enactment of novel policies that deviated from the common policy issues or the typical scale of changes proposed pre-pandemic. Taken together, and viewed through a multilevel and policy streams framework, the findings provide insight into the trajectory of food policymaking in New York during the pandemic and the areas that food justice activists, researchers, and policy makers should focus on as the COVID-19 pandemic is abated. • NY City and State advanced more than 300 food policies during the COVID emergency. • Policies focusing on food businesses, food workers, and food access were prominent. • Most policies were incremental and limited to the duration of the emergency. • The crisis propelled the enactment of several breakthrough food policies. • Pandemic food policymaking continues beyond the emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will the COVID-19 pandemic interrupt the recent European urbanization trends – and if so – what is the magnitude of this sudden shock, and how deaths, births, and net migration contribute to this disruption? Until now, most discussions on the topic have circled either around the anecdotal evidence of city center decline, or contrarian speculations about residential inertia and the forthcoming business-as-usual. Bringing clarity to the uncertainty and confusion surrounding COVID-19, this paper seeks to detect overarching patterns in and the magnitude of its sudden shock to long-term urban trajectories, understood as a reversal of the pre-pandemic population development trend, across European cities in the early 2020s. It reveals that during the first year of COVID-19, population growth in European cities significantly slowed down to −0.3 % per annum, with 28 % of all European cities having experienced a U-turn from population growth to loss. Out-migration was the main driver of such rapid urban shrinkage, while excess mortality associated with COVID-19 has also contributed to population loss in several European city-regions; some, especially, smaller cities suffered from a significant drop in birth rates. Based on the factorial, hierarchical, and temporal dimensions of the COVID-19 crisis, the paper provides a plausible forecast about the future of Europe's post-coronavirus city. • Analyses sudden COVID-19-shock to long-term urban trajectories for European cities • For the first time detection of overarching patterns in and the magnitude of this shock • Population growth in European cities significantly slowed down in 2020. • 28 % of all cities experienced a U-turn in population trends from growth to loss. • Share of shrinking cities post-COVID-19 has reached 63 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban streets, especially curbside spaces, are increasingly complex and often contested. The Coronavirus pandemic created a new demand for street space to enable physical distancing. The urgency of the pandemic and the fear of covid exposure suspended traditional community engagement opportunities, opposition from residents and business owners, and considerations over the privatization of public street space. This exploratory paper uses the case studies of Toronto and Chicago to trace the past and present regulations and programs affecting curbside parking spaces. Through these cases, this paper addresses larger questions that relate the historical conceptions around curbside parking use with those put forward in response to the pandemic. Given the popularity of pandemic-related curbside space programs and their potential to become long-term interventions, this paper also raises several questions around privatization, access and social equity that must be addressed in future iterations of programs affecting curbside space. • Cities are rapidly reimagining curbside space as a result of the pandemic. • Cities are reducing barriers to accessing curbside parking space by eateries. • Shifts in curb space use raise questions around privatization, access and social equity. • Long-term curb space interventions need to be more equitable and public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in cities implementing lockdown measures, causing unprecedented disruption (e.g. school/shop/office closures) to urban life often extending over months. With the spread of COVID-19 now being relatively contained, many cities have started to ease their lockdown restrictions by phases. Following the phased recovery strategy proposed by the UK government following the first national lockdown, this paper utilises Greater London as its case study, selecting three main reopening measures (i.e., schools, shops and hospitality reopening). This paper applies sentiment analysis and topic modelling to explore public opinions expressed via Twitter. Our findings reveal that public attention towards the reopening measures reached a peak before the date of policy implementation. The attitudes expressed in discussing reopening measures changed from negative to positive. Regarding the discussed topics related to reopening measures, we find that citizens are more sensitive to early-stage reopening than later ones. This study provides a time-sensitive approach for local authorities and city managers to rapidly sense public opinion using real-time social media data. Governments and policymakers can make use of the framework of sensing public opinion presented herein and utilise it in leading their post-lockdown cities into an adaptive, inclusive and smart recovery. • Twitter data timely capture the public opinion regarding reopening policies. • Sentiment analysis reveals public attitudes to reopening measures. • Topic modelling was utilised for exploring topics about reopening. • Urban citizens are more sensitive to the earlier lockdown lifting measures • Public attention to announcements provides early feedback to implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines food provisioning initiatives that were implemented to reduce food insecurity during the period of the spread of Covid-19. Food insecurity increased sharply during this time, particularly among those who contracted the virus and had to remain in quarantine, and those who suddenly lost their jobs. As a possible solution to alleviate the problem, voluntary organisations collected food from stores with surplus produce (such as restaurants that were forced to close, supermarkets, etc.) and redistributed it to people in need. This redistribution occurred in several Italian cities, including Cremona, which was one of the first towns in Italy to be dramatically affected by the pandemic. Looking through the lens of social innovation theory, this paper analyses redistribution initiatives in this town and assesses their capacity to enhance their impact on social wellbeing and to involve local society in response to social challenges. Thanks to desk research and interviews with several volunteers, it demonstrates that these initiatives are good examples of social innovation, as they address emerging social challenges and generate benefits for the entire society (not just food aid recipients), reconfigure previous aid models, actively involve local population, and assume educational and social assistance purposes. • Food insecurity increased a lot at the time of the restrictions imposed to counteract Covid-19 • To alleviate it, some local voluntary organisations collected food from local stores with surplus (such as restaurants forced to close) or supermarkets and redistributed it to people in difficulty. • These initiatives are good examples of social innovation • They address emerging social challenges, and generate benefits which extend to the whole society beyond the confines of the volunteering associations and food aid recipients who are directly involved. • They reconfigure the previous aid models, involve actively more human and financial resources and assume educational and social assistance purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the research pathway related to the drafting of a strategic Agri-Food Plan of Rome. The paper highlights the theoretical background and investigates the strategic vision and actions, as well as the role played by the Covid-19 Pandemic by changing priorities. The merging between two strands of study is identified: urban food strategies and sustainability in the debate on post Covid-19 food planning studies and the analysis of local agri-food systems for economic development. This work shows that in the case of urban and metropolitan areas around the Mediterranean, agriculture, the cultural dimension of food, logistics, research and innovation, and tourism marketing can be included within a single planning and policy tool. In the case of Rome, the place-based approach allowed us to consider the specificities of social and spatial contexts with interactions of market drivers with public institutions. This approach may constitute a promising path of research for the future of sustainable planning, particularly in Mediterranean cities. The results have interesting policy implications that should be more explicitly considered in addressing urban agendas, and in particular, the role of food to promote local development by integrating economic, social, and environmental and spatial values at a regional scale. • The sustainability of urban food system is a relevant issue in post Covid-19 Recovery • The agri-food systems of Southern Europe are more specialized and regionalized than those of Northern Europe • Food and agriculture shaping spatial, socioeconomic and environmental dynamics is crucial in Mediterranean cities • The case of Rome suggests that spatial planning and local development in Mediterranean cities play a crucial role in the urban agenda for the ecological transition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have explored the travel behavior of residents in informal housing communities in recent years, few have been conducted in the context of a time series before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. This paper tracks individual-level daily mobility response for three months, using an interrupted time series (ITS) quasi-experimental design to infer daily causal effects of COVID-19 and community close-off management on individuals' daily travel distances. This study compares the mobility response to COVID-19 between people living in urban villages and commodity housing communities in Shenzhen, China. The results reveal that urban village residents reduced their travel less, with slower response and recovery rates after the COVID-19 outbreak. The community close-off management was less effective for urban village residents, with a smaller abrupt reduction in mobility and their recovery rate increasing faster during the post-lockdown period. Therefore, urban village residents may have experienced greater limitations in adjusting travel with higher exposure risks during the pandemic, compared with commodity housing residents. The variations in mobility change are significantly affected by some inherent differences between these two groups, even after controlling for their socioeconomic and built environment features. These results provide important insights for designing mobility restriction policies for different housing groups and planning more resilient neighborhoods in the post-COVID era. • Adopting an interrupted time series quasi-experimental design to infer daily causal effects of COVID-19 • Comparing mobility effects of COVID-19 in urban villages and commodity housing communities • Urban village residents reduced their travel less, with slower response and recovery rates. • The community close-off management was less effective for urban village residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in domestic water use in many cities. One important question is whether and to what extent the pandemic stressed the resilience of the water supply system. Another question examined in the paper is whether changes in water use during confinement differed according to the sociospatial configuration of cities. We examine these questions in the context of a medium size city of Northern Spain characterized by a mix of residential land uses, and internal variations in education, age composition, and income, producing step gradients in water use. First, we select and analyze influencing factors in domestic water consumption. Second, using statistical regression tests, we assess whether or not and to what extent the same factors influenced consumption during the COVID 19 lockdown. Results indicate that COVID-19 related confinement increased work and study from home and reinforced WASH habits, leading to more water consumption. However, this increase was larger in medium and low-income neighborhoods than in high-income neighborhoods, showing the relevance of sociodemographic factors but also of other variables more relevant for outdoor water use such as precipitation. Despite this rise in consumption, the water supply system was able to withstand the shock caused by confinement showing a robust resilience both in physical and in social terms. However, more challenging scenarios such as the coincidence of a pandemic with a severe drought should be taken into account in future resilience development. • Sociodemographic and urban factors played an important role in explaining domestic water consumption patterns during COVID-19 lockdowns. • Households in multifamily buildings or apartment blocks with medium-low incomes and significant presence of young people recorded the largest relative increases of water consumption during these lockdowns. • Weather conditions are key in domestic water consumption during the COVID 19 lockdown especially in areas with a large presence of single houses. • The water supply system was resilient and could withstand the increase in consumption caused by confinement as well as provide for financial assistance to vulnerable households. Policies should take into account the possible coincidence in time of unexpected phenomena such as COVID-19 with droughts already stressing urban resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Spain during Spring 2020 resulted in a ban on most uses of public space, producing a social redefinition of not only public spaces, but also private spaces such as homes. This paper examines the discourses related to balconies that appeared at this time on Twitter (X), an intermediate microspace and hybrid between the public and private. The study uses data from tweets posted in Spain during the strictest phase of the lockdown (from 15 March to 1 May 2020). Based on a descriptive analytical approach – both quantitative and textual – the study applies text content analysis and natural language processing to identify and analyse the main topics of conversation related to the use of balconies. The study brought to light two primary and complementary results. Firstly, the balcony during the pandemic became a revitalized space in an exceptional situation, partially adapting to the most common practices characteristic of public space and thus reaffirming the importance of the existence of public spaces for citizen encounters. Secondly, the various uses of balconies received different types of attention and generated stronger or weaker interactions on social networks, demonstrating the complexity and diversity of relationships with public spaces. • The impossibility of using public spaces multiplied the importance of balconies • Using Twitter data, we studied the use of balconies in Spain in the spring of 2020 • Balconies became a public microspace through their use towards the outside • Technology did not isolate citizens but was key for the promotion of the new uses • We found important differences by use in attachments to the tweets and interactions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 policy outcomes are influenced by urban policy and governance. The goal of this paper is to navigate the sustainable solution of the COVID-19 pandemic using evidence-based research for cities. The number of deaths from COVID-19 is one good indicator to evaluate the results of individual policies by country, state and cities. A policy assessment of urban agglomerations is essential to scientific research. Scoring policies with a single determinant is calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the population in millions. The lower the score, the better the policy. The score monotonically increases so that policymakers can suppress it, but they cannot improve or decrease it. Thus, mistakes by policymakers cannot be corrected and are fatal forever. Many countries have used a pharmacological approach alone such as vaccination with boosting, not sustainable, but their scores are poor and their policies are not effective against the pandemic. Sustainable and optimal policies to mitigate the pandemic were discovered by sorting the scores. This paper introduces two new policy scoring tools such as scorev and usscore. Both tools revealing sustainable approaches are designed for policy-poor states or urban agglomerations to learn the good strategies from countries with excellent scores. • Scoring on the COVID-19 can help persuade policymakers to update current policies. • The COVID-19 policy scoring tools allow policymakers to learn good strategies. • The number of deaths per population is a validated good indicator of policy outcomes. • The PyPI tools on scoring policies have been downloaded by many users in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to better understand retailers' resilience by conducting a micro-level analysis of retailers against the backdrop of the current Covid-19 crisis. Focusing on e-commerce strategies, the paper reveals that for a better understanding of retailer's resilience it proves helpful to analytically differentiate subjective and objective aspects that influence the personal 'capacities to respond', leading to more or less (pro)active reactions (absorptive, adaptive, transformative) to the crisis. This results in the differentiation of four broad response, respectively retailer types. As such, the paper contributes to existing research frameworks by providing analytical categories for defining subjective and objective aspects of resilience as well as by applying this framework to an empirical study on retailers (and urban) resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. A mixed method approach is applied, which includes a survey as well as expert interviews with retailers located in the German city centre of Würzburg. For urban policy makers the results provide an opportunity to redefine retail policy frameworks contributing to retailers' and urban resilience alike. • The paper contributes to existing research frameworks by providing analytical categories for defining subjective and objective aspects of resilience. • A mixed method approach is applied, which includes a survey as well as expert interviews with retailers located in the German city centre of Würzburg. • The paper reveals the differentiation of four broad response, respectively retailer types. • For urban policy makers the results provide an opportunity to redefine retail policy frameworks contributing to retailers' and urban resilience alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic lasting for several years brings huge challenges to the bike-sharing system and even society structure. It is urgent to explore the pandemic impacts on mobility patterns through outbreak and recovery stages from network perspective. This paper proposed a comprehensive approach to investigate the bike-sharing mobility patterns with the case in Washington D.C., which is also new perspective for human mobility patterns. Multiple-source data, including bike-sharing trip information, COVID-19 information, geographic and POI information, were collected. Although the total bike-sharing trips decreased significantly in spatial-temporal analysis, the trips made by casual users gradually increased through outbreak and recovery of pandemic, indicating the change of travel habits. In addition, the docking stations and trips from 2019 to 2022 were utilized to construct the bike-sharing network. The results present that major network properties, such as connectivity, clustering coefficient, and accessibility, experienced significant decrease in 2020 and strong recovery in 2021 and 2022, which demonstrated the well resilience of bike-sharing system. Moreover, through the detection of community with modularity method, the evolution of community structure in response to the outbreak and recovery of pandemic was captured. Although the travel distance and time for bike-sharing trips changed from 2019 to 2022, the basic three community layout are still stable. To better understand the community structure, the POI (Point of Interests) auxiliary analysis was conducted and central community was found to have similar proportion of POIs even during the pandemic. These results provide references for bike-sharing management and operation policy through outbreak and recovery of pandemic. • The trips completed by casual riders are found to be gradually increased through the COVID-19 outbreak and recovery stages. • From the network perspective, the indicators for bike-sharing system are resilient. • Community detection approach can capture the evolution of community layout and structure. • POI auxiliary analysis provides deep understanding of community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides the physical and mental health problems it brought, the COVID-19 pandemic impinged on economic and social aspects of people's lives, threatening economic security and interpersonal relationships, aspects that are major determinants of perceived subjective well-being. We investigate the relationship between individual life satisfaction, and relational and material goods under the exceptional circumstance of the pandemic and lockdown in Italy. Unlike other studies, this paper examined whether COVID-19 infection and deterioration of economic and relational circumstances caused by COVID-19 can predict changes in individual life satisfaction, controlling for other contextual factors. The results suggest that the pandemic threatened the life satisfaction of respondents and the main predictor of this deterioration was related to the effect of the pandemic and lockdown on social relations. Aspects like gender, type of city and dwelling also emerged to be important predictors of LS. These findings have implications for social policies and urban planning, and offer additional insight in the research on LS. • It studies the link between changes LS, and relational and material goods under COVID-19. • The goal was to detect what factors best explain changes in LS in two Italian cities. • It records the changes in LS and in peoples' income and social relations caused by COVID-19. • It runs an Ordered Logit regression model. • It shows that the decay on social relations best predict variation in LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density has gained considerable attention in policy and scientific discourses since the emergence of COVID-19. In the early days, density was blamed as a negative factor that accelerates the transmission of coronavirus in urban areas. Following this, many studies have examined the impact of density on the spread of COVID-19. This offers a good opportunity to examine and synthesize the insights reported in the literature to understand how density affected the spread of the virus. To do so, we have conducted a systematic literature review of 134 papers, which around 58 % of them found density as a positive predictor. However, we found that the relationship between density and the spread of the virus is complex and mediated by factors such as scale, context, methods used for analysis, and other built environment factors. Hence, we assert that the relationship between density and infection rate is not straightforward, and assertions about the effects of density on COVID-19 transmission can only be made with caution. Comprehensive analyses taking into account multiple complex and interrelated factors need to be carried out before any conclusions regarding this issue can be drawn. Therefore, it is advisable to refrain from making premature statements due to their potential adverse effects on efforts toward the development of cities that are resilient to climate change and contribute to achieving sustainable development goals. • The effect of density on the spread of COVID-19 is widely studied in the literature. • We review the literature on the relationship between density and the pandemic. • Contrasting results have been reported in the literature. • We highlight issues related to context, scale, and methods used in the literature. • We argue that premature conclusions about the effect of density should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unexpected outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it several challenges to many throughout the world, a health crisis that severely affected not only how we live but also work. Whereas all populations are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, their impacts on vulnerable populations appear greater. However, the relationship and consequences of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in informal settlements in Ghana remain largely unknown. In this paper, we examine the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations in Ghanaian informal settlements. We sample 2697 households from 100 informal settlements across eleven administrative regions of Ghana. The findings indicated an inverse relationship among all the individual domain vulnerability measures, total vulnerability, and COVID-19 exposure. Again, the findings showed that informal settlements populations' exposure to COVID-19 is not limited to their vulnerability although their computed vulnerability indices suggest higher exposure. Based on the findings, it is recommended that COVID-19 support initiatives should not just be limited to persons that might be deemed vulnerable by living in informal settlements. • 2697 households from 100 informal settlements in Ghana responded to the survey. • We observe an inverse relationship among individual domain vulnerability measures, total vulnerability, and COVID-19 exposure. • Exposure to COVID-19 is not limited to vulnerability although computed vulnerability indices suggest higher exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 outbreak has mostly affected people in the second half of their lives, at risk of isolation and loneliness; in fact, the impact of the pandemic was even more severe for the well-being of the elderly. Such a recent event has to be framed within the challenge of the demographic increase of people aged 65 years or older, which is particularly relevant in the European context. This paper explores which gaps have to be filled up in order to make cities a suitable place for the elderly to live in, particularly after any emergence of dysfunction and fragility in health, employment, transportation and welfare systems due to the pandemic. We assess the relative contribution of each regressor to the explained variance, that may advise policy makers about which urban features are perceived to be the most relevant for the elderly, even before the pandemic, and must be implemented. Our results have several policy implications. The assessment should provide a contribution to European decision-making processes headed to improve the perception of age-friendliness in urban environments, implementing a paradigm for reference, given the great heterogeneity of features characterizing European cities. • It is important to understand suitability of urban environments for the elderly. • The analysis covers 83 cities in Europe and the perceptions of their citizens. • The age-friendly city environment was associated with an elder-friendly city. • The R-squared decomposition identifies the most relevant features of cities. • Our results contribute to improve policies for cities after Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities' planned and built environments are key to healthier communities. The Covid-19 pandemic challenged this relationship, when the issue of communities' compliance with government restrictions to mitigate the spread of the pandemic became apparent. Despite the growing literature on the relationship between communities' characteristics and Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, little attention has been paid to the drivers of compliance at the city and community levels. Our paper addresses this lack through the Bourdieusian concept of communities' capital resources. Using Israel as a test case, we explore how the economic, social and cultural capital of urban communities affected compliance with Covid-19 related restrictions. The analysis reveals how the spatial dispersion of the components of these forms of capital explains the likelihood of communities' level of compliance. In particular, it shows how the accumulation of various forms of capital increased compliance with health regulations. The study highlights the explanatory power of local resources in collective spatial behavior patterns, as well as the possibility of exacerbating existing injustices. • The social space of urban communities affects the health of their members. • Communities' adherence to Covid-19 preventative measures varies. • Communities' economic, social, and cultural capital forms promote urban compliance. • Capital forms affect urban compliance depending on cities' cultural-ethnic makeup. • Compliance enforcement is linked to communities' capital and cultural-ethnic makeup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the economies of old industrial cities in Northeast China respond to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The notion of resistance in regional economic resilience is used to explore what impact factors shape the response to the early stage of the crisis. The analysis reveals significant differences in terms of regional economic impact between COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crisis. We find that large cities are more vulnerable and exposed to the pandemic at its early stage, state agency plays a crucial role in shaping the economic resistance in most cities. Going beyond the existing 2008 financial crisis-induced account on regional economic resilience, this paper argues that regional resistance amid COVID-19 is not merely shaped by economic structural factors but also influenced by state agency in terms of economic restriction and restoration measures. The study suggests that the nature of COVID-19 as a particular context of crisis itself needs to be taken seriously when exploring the determinants and outcomes of regional economic resilience. • This paper in investigates regional economic resilience under COVID-19 by studying the resistance of Northeast China in the first quarter of 2020. • This paper finds that secondary industry structure, overall variety, innovation, specialization, openness and state agency are the main factors shaping regional resistance. • Local state agency on containing COVID-19 plays a key role in shaping regional resistance and recovery. • The study suggests that the crisis nature of COVID-19 itself needs to be taken seriously when exploring the determinants of regional economic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted human activities in a way never documented in modern history. The prevention policies and measures have abruptly changed well-established urban mobility patterns. In this context, we exploit different sources of urban mobility data to gain insights into the effects of restrictive policies on the daily mobility and exhaust emissions in pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Manhattan, the most densely populated borough in New York City, is chosen as the study area. We collect data generated by taxis, sharing bikes, and road detectors between 2019 and 2021, and estimate exhaust emissions using the COPERT (Computer Programme to calculate Emissions from Road Transport) model. A comparative analysis is conducted to identify important changes in urban mobility and emission patterns, with a particular focus on the lockdown period in 2020 and its counterparts in 2019 and 2021. The results of the paper fuel the discussion on urban resilience and policy-making in a post pandemic world. • A comparative analysis is conducted to identify important changes in urban mobility and emission patterns due to the COVID-19. • Remarkable reductions in taxi trips and exhaust emissions are witnessed during the lockdown period. • The need for social distancing has encouraged the utilization of bike-sharing services. • Evidence on the resilience of bike sharing systems during this pandemic has been found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the spatial structure of urban agglomerations, well-developed transportation networks and close economic ties can increase the risk of intercity transmission of infectious diseases. To reveal the epidemic transmission mechanism in urban agglomerations and to explore the effectiveness of traffic control measures, this study proposes an Urban-Agglomeration-based Epidemic and Mobility Model (UAEMM) based on the reality of urban transportation networks and population mobility factors. Since the model considers the urban population inflow, along with the active intracity population, it can be used to estimate the composition of urban cases. The model was applied to the Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration, and the results show that the model can better simulate the transmission process of the urban agglomeration for a certain scale of epidemic. The number of cases within the urban agglomeration is higher than the number of cases imported into the urban agglomeration from external cities. The composition of cases in the core cities of the urban agglomeration changes with the adjustment of prevention and control measures. In contrast, the number of cases imported into the secondary cities is consistently greater than the number of cases transmitted within the cities. A traffic control measures discount factor is introduced to simulate the development of the epidemic in the urban agglomeration under the traffic control measures of the first-level response to major public health emergency, traffic blockades in infected areas, and public transportation shutdowns. If none of those traffic control measures had been taken after the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of cases in the urban agglomeration would theoretically have increased to 3879, which is 11.61 times the actual number of cases that occurred. If only one traffic control measure had been used alone, each of the three measures would have reduced the number of cases in the urban agglomeration to 30.19 %–57.44 % of the theoretical values of infection cases, with the best blocking effect coming from the first-level response to major public health emergency. Traffic control measures have a significant effect in interrupting the spread of COVID-19 in urban agglomerations. The methodology and main findings presented in this paper are of general interest and can also be used in studies in other countries for similar purposes to help understand the spread of COVID-19 in urban agglomerations. • This study proposes an Urban-Agglomeration-based Epidemic and Mobility Model (UAEMM) based on the reality of urban transportation networks and population mobility factors. • We analyze case composition in cities and urban agglomerations, and to evaluate the effectiveness of traffic control measures taken. • The composition of cases in the core cities of the urban agglomeration changes with the adjustment of prevention and control measures. • The best blocking effect coming from the first-level response to major public health emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent pandemic has brought marginal territories back to the center of political and academic debates, providing an opportunity to restart territorial projects. Agro-ecosystems and their derivations (Urban gardens, local supply chains, ecosystem services, typical products, rural tourism), which involve very different areas of the territory, could act as activators for a resilient development model for fragile contexts. However, this implies connected and integrated policy and planning tools, envisioning sustainable management methods for production, and integrating them with chains and tourism economy in dialogue with a landscape design vision. Therefore, this paper is aimed to test the urban design project as a tool to integrate interventions, which especially in the rural context are characterized by overlapping objectives. An experimental attempt will be made on three landscape design projects in marginal rural areas with the integration of tangible and intangible actions and a view of a sustainable and resilient restart. The projects analyzed are not so often used as much as static best practices, but in applying the consolidated research-by-design approach. Through it, we suggested four directions to understand and intervene in co-evolutionary processes through mechanisms of composition and decomposition from the urban planning/urban design perspective. • Agroecosystems could act as activators for a post-covid development model • the urban design project has the opportunity to integrate different sectoral tools, achieving concrete sustainable and regenerating goals • the research-by-design approach can give an innovate view to understand and intervene in coevolutionary processes through mechanisms of composition and decomposition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the public transport trip frequency variations, as well as the reasons that led to the shift away from public transport means, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied relevant data from the Moovit platform, and we compared operational and trip frequency characteristics of public transport systems before and after the outbreak of the pandemic in 87 cities worldwide. On average, waiting times at public transport stops/stations increased while trip distances decreased, apparently due to the mobility restriction and social distancing measures implemented in 2020. Most of the Moovit users who said that they abandoned public transport in 2020 were found in Italy and Greece. We developed linear regression analysis models to investigate (among the 35 variables examined in the study) the relationship between public transport abandonment rates and socioeconomic factors, quality of service characteristics, and indicators of pandemic's spread. Empirical findings show that public transport dropout rates are positively correlated with the COVID-19 death toll figures, the cleanliness of public transport vehicles and facilities, as well as with the income inequality (GINI) index of the population, and thus reconfirm previous research findings. In addition, the waiting time at stops/stations and the number of transfers required for commute trips appeared to be the most critical public transport trip segments, which significantly determine the discontinuation of public transport use under pandemic circumstances. Our research findings indicate specific aspects of public transport services, which require tailored adjustments in order to recover ridership in the post-pandemic period. • COVID-19 effect on public transport abandonment is studied in 87 cities worldwide. • Regression analyses assessed abandonment on socioeconomic, COVID-19 and Moovit data. • High abandonment rates were found in Thessaloniki, San Francisco, and Palermo. • COVID-19 deaths, vehicle hygiene conditions, income inequality affected abandonment. • Long waiting times at stops and higher transfer rates account for higher abandonment rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key workers, required to continue to travel for essential works during the COVID-19 pandemic, are subjected to extreme health and psychological implications along with prevailing financial hardship. This paper applies the Bayesian regression analysis to determine the factors affecting the decision of key workers and other commuters on riding public buses for essential trips during the COVID-19 restrictions on movement at Abuja and Lagos cities in Nigeria. The psychological, policy and operational effects of COVID-19 are the major factors of riding public buses for essential trips during the COVID-19 restrictions on movement. The key workers are staying out the bus routes with higher frequency of passenger boarding to avoid the COVID-19 transmission but other people were unable to avoid these busy routes because of poor accessibility to essential goods and services. The COVID-19 pandemic not only changes the travel behaviour of daily commuters and key workers but also aggravates the existing transportation problems at Lagos and Abuja cities in Nigeria. • Bayesian analysis to determine factors affecting the essential trips by public buses during COVID-19. • Higher transport cost is the most adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic. • Psychological, policy and operational effects are influencing essential trips during pandemic. • Existing traffic congestions, costs and lack of transport services exaggerate the bus service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Spanish real estate and its 'sea and sun' tourism model, were profoundly disrupted during the Great Recession of 2008–2014 As a result, hedge funds and their speculative operations have favoured an intense process of urban touristification in the largest Spanish cities, especially over the past ten years. The aim of this paper is to examine how the COVID-19 crisis has triggered shifts in the supply of short-term rentals and the type of demand of such rentals. By taking into account such changes, we will address the potential changes that the current pandemic scenario might bring between the 'classical' real estate market and short-term rentals in Spain. • Its high dependence on tourism makes Spain the best case study to analyze pandemic-related impacts on urban tourism • The exhaustion of the "Sun & Beach" tourism model had been replaced by the touristification of consolidated urban areas • Short-term rental and residential markets have redefined their complex relationship in new, uncertain directions • Platforms are the new frontier of capital accumulation in cities, anda powerful new mechanism to extract rents from housing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on research exploring food system change in a region in the North of England during the Covid-19 health pandemic, in this paper we explore how a "managerial" approach to food system governance and provisioning embedded in national food systems and international supply chains was suddenly supplanted by a more "open" approach. By enabling understanding of how food system change unfolded as a diverse range of hidden practices unexpectedly became visible, it contributes to food systems thinking through the development of a regional place-based perspective. We use this approach to understand the outcome of these processes and to investigate how embedding change across administrative and geographical boundaries can enable food system transformation to improve food security for future generations. [Display omitted] • When places change suddenly the potential for transformation becomes visible. • Strengthening geographical connections can further a sense of place. • Working across food system boundaries can improve food security for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the lifestyle of people, especially in urban environments. This paper investigated the variations of built environments that were measurably associated with the spread of COVID-19 in 150 Wuhan communities. The incidence rate in each community before and after the lockdown (January 23, 2020), as respective dependent variables, represented the situation under normal circumstances and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). After controlling the population density, floor area ratio (FAR), property age and sociodemographic factors, the built environmental factors in two spatial dimensions, the 15-minute walking life circle and the 10-minute cycling life circle, were brought into the Hierarchical Linear Regression Model and the Ridge Regression Model. The results indicated that before lockdown, the number of markets and schools were positively associated with the incidence rate, while community population density and FAR were negatively associated with COVID-19 transmission. After lockdown, FAR, GDP, the number of hospitals (in the 15-minute walking life circle) and the bus stations (in the 10-minute cycling life circle) became negatively correlated with the incidence rate, while markets remained positive. This study effectively extends the discussions on the association between the urban built environment and the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, given the limitations of sociodemographic data sources, the conclusions of this study should be interpreted and applied with caution. • Influence of built environment on COVID-19 at the community level was studied. • Hierarchical Linear Regression Model and Ridge Regression Model were utilized. • Before lockdown, markets and schools were positively associated with COVID-19. • FAR, GDP, hospitals and bus stations were negatively associated with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the COVID-19 outbreaks, extensive studies have focused on mobility changes to demonstrate the pandemic effect; some studies identified remarkable mobility declines and revealed a negative relationship between mobility and the number of COVID-19 cases. However, counter-arguments have been raised, exemplifying insignificant variations, recuperated travel frequency, and transitory decline effect. This paper copes with this contentious issue, analyzing time series mobility data in comprehensive timelines. The assessment of the pandemic effect builds on significant change rate (SCR) ceilings and the density of the semantic outliers derived from the kernel-based approach. The comparison between pre- and post-pandemic periods indicated that mobility decline pervaded Australia, Europe, New York, New Zealand, and Seoul. However, the degree of the effect was alleviated over time, showing decreased/increased SCR ceilings of negative/positive outliers. The changes in resulting outlier density and SCR ceilings corroborated that the pandemic outbreaks did not lead to persistent mobility decline. The findings provide useful insights for predicting epidemics and setting appropriate restrictions and transportation systems in urban areas. • With current debates on the COVID-19 effect, this article aims to assess the pandemic disturbances on intercity and international mobility. • During the first pandemic year, the mobility decline became apparent in NY, Europe, AU (walking), NZ (driving), and SU (22:00–05:59), but it did not persist. • In the following year, AU, Europe, and NZ recuperated mobility, showing greater SCR levels and SCR ceilings of POs. • The findings corroborate that the increased COVID-19 severity and anti-coronavirus restriction did not intensify mobility reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Location has historically been vital to a restaurant's success. However, in the past decade, on-demand food delivery (ODFD) platforms like Meituan, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats have progressively increased their market shares, recently facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the new circumstances, are restaurants still constrained by conventional locational factors, such as transport accessibility, customer proximity, and industrial agglomeration? How do ODFD platforms impact the geography of restaurants? This paper innovatively offers a comparative analysis of the different spatial distributions of brick-and-mortar and platform-dependent restaurants. Based on the case of Nanjing, China, robust empirical evidence demonstrates how platformization has spatially affected the catering sector. Using data from the most popular Chinese ODFD platform, Meituan, we analyze the following spatial characteristics of the catering sector in the urban core of Nanjing: transport accessibility, density pattern, agglomeration degree, and horizontal and vertical locational patterns. The findings suggest that platform-dependent restaurants have reduced dependence on transport accessibility. Compared with traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, platform-dependent restaurants are more dispersed spatially, not only horizontally but also vertically. The digital turn in the catering sector is also noticeably associated with the rise of informal restaurants, such as ghost kitchens in vacant high-rise office spaces. • On-demand food delivery platforms reduce restaurants' dependence on location. • Platformization has spatially affected the catering sector. • Platform-dependent restaurants become less dependent on transport accessibility. • Platform-dependent restaurants are spatially dispersed horizontally and vertically. • Ghost kitchens or informal restaurants appear prevalent in office buildings in Nanjing, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, the scientific debate on territorial competitiveness has gone through different phases due to the various events that have occurred such as uncontrolled urbanisation, globalisation and digitalisation. Initially linked to competition between companies and, subsequently, to the productivity of countries, today, competitiveness is played out between territories and, above all, between cities. For this reason, competitiveness has become a characteristic of the city and can therefore be considered multidimensional from a systemic perspective typical of urban studies. Researchers agree in defining it as the ability to attract investments, business, creativity, talents and visitors, which is possible by enhancing various urban dimensions. The review presented in this paper analyses the foremost definitions and paradigms, investigates quantitative approaches and identifies the main trends and research gaps concerning the topic of urban competitiveness, through a bibliometric analysis. We have selected almost 1600 documents published between 1967 and 2020 from the Scopus database and we have examined them using bibliometric tools such as VOSiewer and ScientoPy. The aim is to analyse the diachronic and geographical evolution of research, to define future development and directions. The result is that the approach to the research depends on a wide variety of factors, including the time of publication, the scientific framework, the models and, lastly, the region the study comes from. We found that the ability to cope with future challenges has gradually taken on an essential role in defining how competitive a city is on an international scale, especially following the 2008 global financial crisis and the more recent COVID-19 crisis. • Competitiveness is an attribute of metropolitan areas with rising concern to local scale. • Urban sustainability may favour competitiveness of urban areas. • China, the USA and Europe are the geographical units most focused on urban competitiveness. • The study of competitiveness presupposes a multidimensional and systemic approach. • The ability to face future challenges is becoming essential for urban competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy advocacy to address socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in access to urban green space (e.g., parks) in the U.S. and elsewhere are often stymied by two dominant narratives on green space reinforced by politicians, business leaders, and mainstream media. The first argues that green space is "nice to have" but not necessary, and the second frames green space as "universally good" for economic development. In this paper, we study counter-narratives to push for equitable green space policy relying on qualitative research with 30 U.S. policy advocates about their experiences with green space equity work. We find that counter-narratives to the "nice to have" narrative could frame green space as essential, multifunctional, and resilient infrastructure. Also, counter-narratives to the "universally good" narrative could describe green space as a setting for equitable development, cultural representation and inclusiveness, and healing for people of color. Further, counter-narratives should be tailored to specific policy campaigns by targeting audiences, seizing historical opportunities (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic), and centering the stories of disadvantaged people. These findings can be interpreted through the lens of structural racism and can provide pathways forward for advocates seeking to achieve green space equity through policy change and power building. • Two dominant narratives limit policy advocacy efforts to advance green space equity. • Dominant narratives frame green space as "nice to have" or "universally good". • Counter-narratives could frame green space as essential, intersectional, and resilient infrastructure. • Counter-narratives could describe green space as a setting for equitable development, cultural representation, and healing. • Counter-narratives could target audiences, seize historical opportunities, and center disadvantaged people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to investigate changes in travel behavior due to COVID-19 focusing in one of the most active social groups in Greece. A questionnaire survey was conducted and 306 young adults (age 18–34 years) living in various Greek cities responded. The survey collected information about travel-related preferences before, during and after the 1st lockdown and during the 2nd lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece. City attributes of the respondent's residency location before and after the 1st lockdown were collected. The data are analyzed descriptively and through statistical modelling techniques. During the 1st lockdown an important increase in physical exercise frequency was observed, but this increase was not permanent. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in essential reductions in the frequency of public transport use and in an increase of walking frequency. The public transport use reduction was mainly attributed to people that had access to a private car and after the 1st lockdown moved to a smaller city. On the other hand, the changes in walking frequency are closely linked to the city's attributes. Useful policy implications are being derived about how the pandemic can assist in promoting sustainable urban mobility goals. • The study surveyed 306 young adults that are living in various Greek cities • During the COVID-19 pandemic walking increased and public transport use decreased essentially • Physical exercise increased during the 1st lockdown and returned to pro-COVID levels after the 1st lockdown • Public transport usage was mainly reduced by people that had access to a private car and those moved to a smaller city • Changes in walking frequency are closely linked to city's attributes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the post-Covid urban tourism debate. It focuses on how cities respond to the pandemic asking how and to what extent urban destination brands are leverged by city marketers for coping with the Covid-19 crisis. It explores city brand values and attributes change as a component of the urban approach to facing the current crisis. Content analysis is carried out on pre- and post-pandemic brand communication of four Italian iconic cultural destinations (Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan) on Instagram. Findings suggest adaptive and transformative brand responses to the pandemic crisis, projecting the cities into future development scenarios. This research contributes to the recovery versus reform debate on post-Covid urban contexts and opens research on the pandemic effects on values, images and tourism stakeholders' mindsets and brand experimentation on social media platforms. • Adaptive and transformative city brands in post-Covid urban tourism • Brand Values-Brand Attributes Matrix frames city brand change • Pandemic effects on values, images and mindsets orienting urban tourism stakeholders • Brand experimentation on Instagram [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A timely understanding of the spatiotemporal pattern and development trend of COVID-19 is critical for timely prevention and control. However, the under-reporting of casesis widespread in fields associated with public health. It is also possible to draw biased inferences and formulate inappropriate prevention and control policies if the phenomenon of under-reporting is not taken into account. Therefore, in this paper, a novel framework was proposed to explore the impact of under-reporting on COVID-19 spatiotemporal distributions, and empirical analysis was carried out using infection data of healthcare workers in Wuhan and Hubei (excluding Wuhan). The results show that (1) the lognormal distribution was the most suitable to describe the evolution of epidemic with time; (2) the estimated peak infection time of the reported cases lagged the peak infection time of the healthcare worker cases, and the estimated infection time interval of the reported cases was smaller than that of the healthcare worker cases. (3) The impact of under-reporting cases on the early stages of the pandemic was greater than that on its later stages, and the impact on the early onset area was greater than that on the late onset area. (4) Although the number of reported cases was lower than the actual number of cases, a high spatial correlation existed between the cumulatively reported cases and healthcare worker cases. The proposed framework of this study is highly extensible, and relevant researchers can use data sources from other counties to carry out similar research. • A novel framework was proposed to explore the impact of under-reporting on COVID-19 spatiotemporal distributions. • An empirical analysis was carried out based proposed framework using infection data of healthcare workers in Wuhan and Hubei (excluding Wuhan). • An open-source dataset of HCW diagnoses is provided, which both ensures the reproducibility of the study and provides the data needed to support related research on data under-reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first wave of COVID-19, lockdown restrictions limited people's movements mainly to food purchasing. Using survey data collected in Torino, Italy, from university students, this study analyses the lockdown's impact on the transportation means used for purchasing food compared to the pre-lockdown period. Food store businesses were not limited by the restrictions and people had to purchase food; however, national and local rules limited citizens' movements, potentially leading to a different choices of transportation means than before the pandemic. The results show that both the lockdown and, perhaps, the fear of contagion, moved the preferences of people from public and shared means to foot and private vehicles. These findings can help in rethinking how transportation is organised in an urban environment, such as that in Torino. Ensuring the safety of public and shared transportation may help sustain mobility during health emergencies. • Lockdowns due to Covid-19 pandemic have changed our behaviours. • Mobility was particularly affected. The paper focusses on this. • Data are from university students in Torino, Italy, and their mobility for food purchasing. • The pandemic moved preferences from public transportation to feet and private cars. • Strengthening public transportation is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 global pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to nations and cities worldwide. Governments have adopted Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to rapidly control the spread of a novel coronavirus. As an innovative but controversial ICT-based tool, health QR code plays a vital role by assisting rapid contact tracing. Yet, whether and how citizens accept this policy tool remains an unknown theoretical and empirical question. In this paper, we study the sources that determine citizens' acceptance of health QR code in city governance. Based on a nation-wide online survey covering 28 major provincial-capital cities in China, we find that individual experiences and political identities affect citizens' acceptance of QR code. Even though public opinion regarding this issue is diverse, the government's responses to citizens' requests play a critical role in enhancing their acceptance of using QR code both in the current and future stages. Specifically, as the citizens perceive a higher level of city government responsiveness, they are less worried about privacy leaks and more likely to perceive the effectiveness of health QR code in improving public health, thus resulting in a higher acceptance. The results offer broad policy implications for smart cities and urban governance. • We analyze how city government responsiveness helps improve citizens' acceptance of an ICT-based tool for urban governance. • Government responses signal the benefit of the QR code and demonstrate the government's commitment to protecting privacy. • Our findings suggest a practical measure to cultivate citizens' engagement in the governance of smart cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, an exceptional crisis, sparked the introduction of new digital infrastructure to halt the novel coronavirus's spread. This paper explores how such digital infrastructure's impact might reverberate over the long term, by comparing Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China's utilization of digital technology in response to the 2003 SARS outbreak, and their responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We find that advancements in digital technology since 2003 have boosted governments' surveillance and segregation abilities substantially—most dramatically so in China. Even though some of these new digital interventions are ostensibly designed to be temporary ones to address the needs of the immediate crisis, we argue that the resultant extensions of state power experienced during COVID-19 are likely to have profound long-term effects because they fundamentally affect sociopolitical contexts, institutional capabilities, and digital cultures. We also find that the extent to which governments can extend digital surveillance and segregation abilities during the pandemic is contingent on their respective sociopolitical, institutional, and digital cultural contexts. • COVID-19 pandemic sparked calls for a new digital infrastructure. • We compare 2003 SARS outbreak to COVID-19 pandemic. • New digital technologies increased governments' ability to surveil and segregate. • Their impact on surveillance and segregation will persist post COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public hearing is a vital method to obtain citizen participation and information gathering for urban policy decision making. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused local planning departments around the nation to rethink their strategy, especially when many citizens are unable to use many of the new strategies because of the rural digital divide. While fully online meetings would be ideal for the current situation, the reality is that the lack of Internet and technology severely limits public participation among certain populations and in certain regions. This paper analyzed nine counties in the state of Florida, USA, in terms of population, COVID-19 cases, Internet broadband availability, and public hearing strategies, as well as survey data regarding public hearings, to produce best practices for holding a public hearing during the pandemic. A hybrid public hearing approach is the most effective method given the circumstances, and best practices and future approaches are provided and discussed to help bridge the digital divide. These resulting best practices will inform local residents, developers, planners, and decision-makers moving forward in the pandemic and ensure that the public voice can be heard with openness and transparency without compromising the applicants' and citizens' safety and health. • COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of life • Many people are turning to virtual meetings, including public hearings • Rural populations may run into more challenges when attending virtual meetings • A hybrid approach is an effective compromise regarding public hearings [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the interconnections between ride-hailing platforms and public transit systems in large US cities. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with expert key informants representing city government agencies, industry, community groups, and others, we find that ride-hailing platforms have catalyzed a downward spiral in many public transportation systems: as more people use ride-hailing instead of transit, transit systems receive less revenue and must reduce services to compensate, which makes transit seem even less desirable to would-be riders, leading more people to explore other transit options. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, preexisting transit deficiencies, shifting customer expectations, and stigmatization of transit systems and riders each contributed to ride-hailing platforms' successful encroachment upon public transit. The pandemic has fundamentally destabilized both transit systems and ride-hailing alternatives, but it portends an even greater decline in transit as people gravitate to privately owned vehicles and eschew sharing rides with others. Ride-hailing and transit partnerships, such as a Boston-based pilot project to provide paratransit services for people with disabilities, point to possibilities for complementary arrangements moving forward, but they remain constrained by their industry-focused market models. The current downward spiral is particularly concerning because it negatively impacts the most vulnerable and disempowered in society. • This study explores threats to public transportation by ride-hailing platforms and the COVID-19 pandemic in large US cities. • Interviews were conducted with expert key informants representing city government agencies, industry, and community groups. • Many public transportation systems are encountering a downward spiral with reduced ridership and loss of fare-based revenue. • This downward spiral negatively impacts the most vulnerable and disempowered in society, raising social justice concerns. • Corrective ride-hailing and transit partnerships are constrained by industry-focused market models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the imppact of COVID-19 travel restrictions on population flow in the People's Republic of China. We discover an "unreasonable" surge in population flow after the Wuhan travel ban. We further find out that such a sure of population flow is attributed to the "spill-over" effect of the Wuhan travel ban. We utilize a logistic regression model to quantify that the spill-over effect linearly decays with the travel distance to the Pandemic center city. Because of the "spill-over" effect of the travel ban policy, government authorities should design redundancy polity to simultaneously implement a travel ban for the pandemic center city and its neighboring cities to restrain human movement and pandemic transmission. • We discovered the "spill-over" effect of the Wuhan travel ban. • A travel ban policy may stimulate human movement if it's not properly designed • The transportation distance to the COVID-19 pandemic center city negatively linearly determines the "spill-over" effect. • The "spill-over" effects can help city administrators to predicate population flow and make traffic control plans when pandemic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]