Abstract
As cities resume life in public space, they face the difficult task of retaining outdoor activity while decreasing exposure to airborne viruses, such as the novel coronavirus. Even though the transmission risk is higher in indoor spaces, recent evidence suggests that physical contact outdoors also contributes to an increased virus exposure. Given that streets constitute the largest percentage of public space in cities, there is an increasing need to prioritise their use to minimise transmission risk. However, city officials currently lack the assessment tools to achieve this. This article evaluates the extent to which street segments are associated with spatiotemporal variations of potential exposures of pedestrians to virus transmission. We develop a multi-component risk score that considers both urban form and human activity along streets over time, including (a) an assessment of pedestrian infrastructure according to the average width of pavements, (b) a measure of accessibility for each street based on its position in the street network, (c) an activity exposure score that identifies places along streets where exposure could be higher and (d) an estimate of the number of pedestrians that will pass through each street during weekdays and weekends. We use Amsterdam in the Netherlands as a case study to illustrate how our score could be used to assess the exposure of pedestrians to virus transmission along streets. Our approach can be replicated in other cities facing a similar challenge of bringing life back to the streets while minimising transmission risks.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical link between the urban built environment and public health issues (United Nations, 2020a, 2020b)
We develop a multicomponent risk score that considers both urban form and human activity along streets over time, including (a) an assessment of pedestrian infrastructure according to the average width of pavements, (b) a measure of accessibility for each street based on its position in the street network, (c) an activity exposure score that identifies places along streets where exposure could be higher and (d) an estimate of the number of pedestrians that will pass through each street during weekdays and weekends
High values of one component may be compensated for or reinforced by the other ones. This would mean that policy aiming at mitigating the exposure risks associated with pedestrian movement should provide more space to pedestrians, and reroute pedestrian flows across the different neighbourhoods, while further considering activity-related characteristics
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical link between the urban built environment and public health issues (United Nations, 2020a, 2020b). Many cities embraced the same measure to curb the spread of COVID-19: people should avoid physical contact. Lockdowns and stay-at-home (SAH) orders, with different levels of restrictions and enforcement, were implemented in thousands of cities worldwide. Physical distancing has become the most effective way to reduce the risk of transmission. The association between the number of confirmed cases across Chinese provinces and cases originating from Wuhan (where COVID-19 was first reported in December 2019) provided the first indications that physical distancing would be the critical factor in slowing down virus transmission (Zhao et al, 2020). Even in countries where SAH orders were decentralised, such as the United States, a reduction in mobility resulting from physical distancing (mandated or voluntary) showed a downward effect on disease transmission (Badr et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
