2,579 research outputs found

    COVID-19 and Income Profile: How People in Different Income Groups Responded to Disease Outbreak, Case Study of the United States

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    Due to immature treatment and rapid transmission of COVID-19, mobility interventions play a crucial role in containing the outbreak. Among various non-pharmacological interventions, community infection control is considered to be a quite promising approach. However, there is a lack of research on improving community-level interventions based on a community's real conditions and characteristics using real-world observations. Our paper aims to investigate the different responses to mobility interventions between communities in the United States with a specific focus on different income levels. We produced six daily mobility metrics for all communities using the mobility location data from over 100 million anonymous devices on a monthly basis. Each metric is tabulated by three performance indicators: "best performance," "effort," and "consistency." We found that being high-income improves social distancing behavior after controlling multiple confounding variables in each of the eighteen scenarios. In addition to the reality that it is more difficult for low-income communities to comply with social distancing, the comparisons between scenarios raise concerns on the employment status, working condition, accessibility to life supplies, and exposure to the virus of low-income communities

    Exploring the travel behavior changes caused by the COVID-19 crisis:A case study for a developing country

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    This study aims to examine the extent to which SARS-Cov-2 and associated governmental interventions to mitigate virus transmission has affected daily travel decisions in Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey was used to record opinions of respondents hailing from diverse socio-economic backgrounds on trip number and mode preferences for a variety of trip purposes for “before” and “during” COVID-19 situation. This was used to assess changes in (i) trip frequencies, and (ii) travel mode preferences using contingency tables, ordinal logistic regression and Sankey diagrams. Analyses revealed that COVID-19 caused large variation in mode preferences but small variation in trip frequencies. Males still go outside for work and shopping, putting them at greater risk than females. COVID-19 has drastically cut recreational trips, but not so many work trips. Although online work or education (950%) and shopping (170%) has risen, this seems to be limited to urban areas. Besides, buses continue to be preferred the most during pandemic for trips involving short distance recreation (26.75%), markets (43.18%), and long distance recreation (35.66%). Results suggest the lack of online penetration in rural and suburban areas have prevented worktrip reductions in those places, putting the inhabitants at heightened risk from virus. Moreover, majority of the people continue to use buses at the expense of their health for lack of cheaper alternatives. Results imply that the government needs to ensure proper hygiene practices in public transit and non-motorised paratransit vehicles. Moreover, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), pedestrian and bicycle facilities need to be improved

    EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE URBAN PUBLIC SPACE: A SOCIO-SPATIAL STUDY IN THE CITY OF TRIPOLI TO RESPOND TO THE HUMAN BEHAVIOR NEEDS

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    Pandemics have always shaped cities and covid-19 is one of them. It has had a direct effect on the foundation of urban planning and the participation of people in public spaces. This study is aiming to analyze the effects of covid-19 on cities and urban public spaces. Also, to respond to human behavior and their needs. During the pandemic, observations and an online survey questionnaire were conducted from 1 to 10 January 2021. With the information collected from 130 Residents of Tripoli during the pandemic, the results indicated that there were changes in human behavior in the urban public space. Behavioral changes related to the need are an increase in people walking to green and urban spaces, cycling in order to reduce the stress level and improving physical, psychological and mental health. This paper emphasizes the critical role of the green spaces and sidewalks for Tripoli to improve a safe and healthier space for its inhabitants. The present study examines the changes to inform urban planning and design in a post-COVID world to deal with the pandemic considering the economy of countries and the time to manage to build a safe and healthier environment. This paper heads to the urban planners and designers to rethink when designing any spaces to a safe, and flexible environment for any future pandemic
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