Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on the Deteriorating Street Function

Marina Mohd Nor, Norzailawati Mohd Nor

Abstract

Since the pandemic hit the globe in 2020, it has changed the street's image. The street remains silent due to the COVID-imposed lockdown. The streets, usually bustling with people and activities, were near silent. The commencement practice of "social-distancing" has brought dramatic changes in street usage, where streets portray as a place for active travel, mobility, and connecting people. Thus, this paper reviews the present effect of changing street behavior based on existing literature. Qualitative analysis was performed using content analysis to elaborate on the impact of street function during this pandemic. Activities on the street such as walking, cycling, gathering, and social events have impacted and limited participation in public. However, the street plays a vital role in supporting physical and mental well-being, as mentioned in SDG 11: Make the cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The findings of this study will help ensure that streets can become a public health approach and risk reduction for people to engage in outdoor activities. Therefore, streets serve as the primary hope in overcoming the pandemic and how the city and people can have inclusive and safe access to the streets throughout the pandemic. We believe that social distancing should not preclude social interaction.

References

Arora, S., Bhaukhandi, K. D., & Mishra, P. K. (2020). Coronavirus lockdown helped the environment to bounce back. Science of the Total Environment, 742, 140573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140573

Baraniuk, C. (2021). Covid-19: What do we know about airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2? The BMJ, 373. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1030

Bereitschaft, B., & Scheller, D. (2020). How Might the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect 21st Century Urban Design, Planning, and Development? Urban Science, 4(4), 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040056

Baruchman, M. Seattle will permanently close 20 miles of residential streets to most vehicle traffic. Seattle Times, 8 May 2020. Available online: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle- will-permanently-close-20-miles-of-residential-streets-to-most-vehicle-traffic/. Retrieved on 14 August 2020.

Carmona, M., Gabrieli, T., Hickman, R., Laopoulou, T., & Livingstone, N. (2017). Street appeal: The value of street improvements. Progress in Planning, March. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2017.09.001

Combs, T. S., & Pardo, C. F. (2021). Shifting streets COVID-19 mobility data: Findings from a global dataset and a research agenda for transport planning and policy. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 9(December 2020), 100322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100322

Curl, A., Ward Thompson, C., & Aspinall, P. (2015). The effectiveness of "shared space" residential street interventions on self-reported activity levels and quality of life for older people. Landscape and Urban Planning, 139, 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.019

Deka, B. A. (2020). "Withstanding Covid 19 and Its Effects By Street Vendors : a Study on Their Livelihoods During Post Lockdown Phase in Guwahati City ." 7(13), 4656–4667.

Honey-Rosés, J., Anguelovski, I., Chireh, V. K., Daher, C., Konijnendijk van den Bosch, C., Litt, J. S., Mawani, V., McCall, M. K., Orellana, A., Oscilowicz, E., Sánchez, U., Senbel, M., Tan, X., Villagomez, E., Zapata, O., & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on public space: an early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities. Cities & Health, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1780074

Lai, S., Leone, F., & Zoppi, C. (2020). Covid-19 and spatial planning. TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility, and Environment, 231–246.

Mehta, V. (2009). Look closely and you will see, listen carefully and you will hear: Urban design and social interaction on streets. Journal of Urban Design, 14(1), 29–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574800802452658

Mohler-kuo, M., Dzemaili, S., Foster, S., Werlen, L., & Walitza, S. (2021). Stress and mental health among children/adolescents, their parents, and young adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094668

Murawiec, S., & Tryjanowski, P. (2020). A psychiatrist watches birds during the COVID-19 pandemic: Observations, introspections, interpretations. Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna, 20(2), 94–97. https://doi.org/10.15557/PiPK.2020.0012.

Mok, O. (2020). In Malaysia's street food heaven, hawkers see daily earnings barely reaching RM50 under the second CMCO. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2020/03/25/asias-street-food-hawkers-struggle-to-survive-during-virus-lockdowns/. Retrieved on 28 June 2021

Othman, M., & Talib, M. (2020). Since January 2020, Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource center with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID- 19. The COVID-19 resource center is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information. January.

Qiu, W., Li, W., Zhang, Z., Li, X., Liu, X., & Huang, X. (2021). Subjective and Objective Measures of Streetscape Perceptions : Relationships with Property Value in Shanghai. March, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0506.v1

Rhoads, D., Solé-Ribalta, A., González, M. C., & Borge-Holthoefer, J. (2020). Planning for sustainable Open Streets in pandemic cities.

Russell, W., & Stenning, A. (2020). Beyond active travel: children, play, and community on streets during and after the coronavirus lockdown. Cities & Health, 00(00), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1795386

Sharifi, A., & Khavarian-Garmsir, A. R. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on cities and major lessons for urban planning, design, and management. Science of the Total Environment, 749, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142391

Sandoiu, A. (2021). Mental health during the pandemic: 1year on. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mental-health-during-the-pandemic-1-year-on. Retrieved on 28 June 2021.

Swift, S., Green, M., Hillage, J., & Nafilyan, V. (2016). Impact of the Cycle to Work Scheme Evidence Report Institute for Employment Studies. June.

Tang, S., Xiang, M., Cheung, T., & Xiang, Y. (2020). Since January 2020, Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource center with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource center is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information. Psychiatry Research, 293(January), 337–339.

Thomas Reuters Edition (2020). Asia's street food hawkers struggle to survive during virus lockdowns. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2020/03/25/asias-street-food-hawkers-struggle-to-survive-during-virus-lockdowns/. Retrieved online 28 June 2021.

WIEGO. (2020). Street vending in times of COVID-19: Guideline for Street Vendors. https://www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/file/Street-Vending-in-times-of-COVID-19-%28English%29.pdf

Zakariya, K. (2016). Street Markets: Cultural And Economic Corridors Of The City. 72–73.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25077/ijasc.5.2.84-90.2021

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.