COVID-19 causes and influences: rethinking neighborhood design in Jordan

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research aims to propose recommendations to improve neighborhood urban design in Amman, the capital of Jordan; decreasing the risk of spreading pandemics such as COVID-19. The research methodology follows a mixed-methods comparative approach, comparing three neighborhoods in Amman with different COVID-19 infection rates; Ar-Rawabi, Ash-Shmeisani, and Al-Qwesmeh. These more sensitive locationsare selected using a multi-stage cluster-sampling technique that overlaps COVID-19 infection heat maps, population density maps, and neighborhood areas. The study analyzes these neighborhoods’ land-use patterns, and distributes a survey to the neighborhoods’ residents to study their demographic information, compliance with COVID-19 safety measures, daily activities during the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak in Amman, satisfaction level with their neighborhood’s spatial characteristics, and the emotional impact of social distancing on them. The conclusion contributes a list of recommendations for post-pandemic neighborhood design to help mitigate the spread of highly infectious diseases and improve residents’ quality of life, creating pandemic-resilient, healthy, and walkable neighborhoods. These recommendations include planning for commercial land-use to be spread throughout a neighborhood, allocating a higher percentage of land-use for public green spaces, and planning for smaller-scale residential buildings. These recommendations can be applied to neighborhood design internationally to help reduce the spread of pandemics worldwide.