Urban form and pandemic spread: Reflections from Ahmedabad

Abstract

Covid-19 which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization has impacted all the spheres of human life including health, economy, education, social life, etc. The spread of the virus has been found to be primarily due to human movement and human contact. Certain areas like slums and other highly dense areas of the city having narrow streets, high density housing, compact social spaces and poor sanitation, have shown rapid spread and long duration of stay of the virus. Tracing Covid-19 spread, one finds an underlying link between Covid-19 cases and city’s urban form. Today, reconsideration on different aspects of planning seems necessary. The objective of this paper is to find the link between spread of Covid-19 cases and various urban forms existing within Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad being one of the most populated metropolitan city of Gujarat, India and also acknowledged for its rich heritage culture and built-forms, stands suitable for this study giving opportunity to explore and study varied urban spatial forms ranging from heritage settlements known as ‘Pols’ existing in the inner core city to the new townships developed in the recent years. The study relies on secondary data for tracing spread of Covid-19 in Ahmedabad and on primary study and analysis of different selected neighbourhoods. This study urges to adopt newer approaches to bring resilience in urban form through planning during such pandemic.