Abstract
In the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, public fear or social scaring of urban living was observed, which caused people to change their daily routines. This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected residential choice and perceptions of urban living. We analyzed self-reported survey data collected from 2000 participants in Seoul, Daegu, and Kyeongbuk in South Korea between 3–6 August 2020, targeting the relatively controlled period after the first COVID-19 outbreak. Logistic regression models were used to examine concerns of urban living and residence relocation consideration. Those who were aged 30 or older, regularly commuting, not feeling healthy, with a household size of two, and living in a low-rise condominium were more likely to be concerned with urban living. Those who were aged 40 or older and living in a townhouse or a single-detached house were more likely to consider moving to a less dense area. People perceived that their daily routine changed substantially after the pandemic. Certain participant groups showed concerns of urban living and relocation consideration, suggesting housing policy implications.
Highlights
In November 2019, the first reported case of the coronavirus (SAR-Cov-2) was confirmed
Rapid and comprehensive changes due to the novel, severe pandemic have been issued in a fundamental urban planning and policy agenda relating to environmental quality changes, disproportionate economic impacts and social inequalities, techno-driven approaches’ privacy concerns, absence of proactive emergency governance, risk of public transit, and lack of appropriate green and open spaces under social distancing [3]
About 32% from Seoul, 25% from Daegu, and 19% from Kyeongbuk agreed that they became concerned with living in a city after the pandemic, which is the only statistically different post-COVID-19 perception change across the study area (p < 0.001)
Summary
In November 2019, the first reported case of the coronavirus (SAR-Cov-2) was confirmed. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020, and it is recorded to have been over 151 million confirmed cases and over 3 million deaths as of 3 May 2021 [1]. Countries around the world have increasingly implemented regulatory actions including social distancing, indoor dining bans, and various levels of lockdowns, which affected people’s mobility and daily routines, as well as perceptions of urban living [2]. In the early stage of the pandemic, public fear or social scaring of the pandemic, coupled with governments’ preventive regulatory actions, had caused people to change their daily routines (e.g., shopping inside a store, avoiding crowds, and working/studying remotely) [2]. It is timely and important to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect residential choice, perceptions, and eventually urban changes
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