Urbanization and COVID-19 Prevalence in India

Abstract

The research questions we answer in this paper pertain to the socio-economic determinants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the relationship between urbanization, urban primacy, the proportion of households in slums, urban poverty, health infrastructure, open spaces in cities and COVID prevalence, in India. We find that urbanization, higher workforce participation, higher population density and higher income lead to increased Covid prevalence. We find a positive relationship between urban primacy, slum households and COVID-19, and a negative association between health infrastructure, parks and COVID-19. Cities should develop and maintain not only hospital infrastructure such as beds, but also parks in the post-pandemic world.